£1,250bn and rising: how buy-to-let is overtaking pensions

The value of the properties owned by buy-to-let investors is catching up on the total amassed in workers’ pension schemes

At £1,250bn, the value of the flats and houses owned by almost two million small-time landlords is catching up on the £1.6 trillion total amassed in workers' pension schemes Photo: Alamy

 

The value of property owned by Britain’s growing army of buy-to-let investors is fast approaching the value of the entire workforce’s pension savings built up over decades of employment.

At £1.25 trillion – £1,250bn – the value of the flats and houses owned by almost two million small-time landlords is catching up on the £1.6 trillion total amassed in workers’ pension schemes.

And while traditional pension saving is complex and unpopular with many, the phenomenon of buying-to-let is now growing at its fastest rate ever, spurred by rising rents and house prices and cheap mortgages.

The Government’s recent pension changes, which will apply from 2015 and enable savers to spend pension proceeds freely, are expected to add to the boom.

The trend is causing concern among policymakers and commentators, not least because many landlords are said to be failing to plan or prepare for setbacks such as interest rate increases and tax liabilities.

 Richard Dyson ( The Telegraph)