Buy-to-let investors capitalising on soft housing market to drive price reductions, says Hamptons

Buy-to-let investors are capitalising on a cooling housing market, using their chain-free position and cash reserves to push for steep price reductions, according to new analysis from Hamptons using Connells Group data.

In July 2026, landlords accounted for 14.1 per cent of all home purchases in Great Britain, up from the 12.4 per cent year-to-date average.

Investor numbers typically rise in slower markets. As overall buyer demand cools, seasoned investors look to take advantage of a weaker market and leverage the certainty they can offer to more motivated sellers.

David Fell, lead analyst at Hamptons, said: "When the market slows, seasoned investors rarely stand on the sidelines for long. With homes taking longer to sell and chains proving fragile, landlords are using their liquidity and chain-free status to maximise their leverage when it comes to agreeing a price.

"In a market where certainty has become more valuable, these benefits tend to be worth more than in hotter markets where sellers often have multiple options on the table.”

Investors became more ambitious with their offers last month. The average landlord paid just 88.7 per cent of the initial asking price in July.

Over half (56 per cent) of offers from investors during July 2026 were at least 10 per cent below the seller's initial asking price – the highest proportion since the first Covid lockdown in April 2020.

This is up from 48 per cent in June 2026 and 45 per cent in July 2025.