Buy-to-let investors are capitalising on a cooling housing market, using their chain-free position and cash reserves to negotiate steep price reductions. In July 2026, landlords accounted for 14.1% of all home purchases in Great Britain, an increase from the 12.4% year-to-date average.
Last month, the average landlord paid just 88.7% of the initial asking price. Over half (56%) of offers from investors in July 2026 were at least 10% below the seller’s initial asking price, the highest proportion since April 2020.
Cash-backed landlords were even more ambitious, with 63% of their offers in England & Wales coming in at least 10% under the initial asking price. Sellers are increasingly willing to accept these lower offers; 27% of investor offers at 10% or more below the initial asking price were accepted in July, up from 18% in July 2025.
This trend is particularly evident for flat owners, where 41% of these discounted offers for leasehold properties were accepted. The prevalence of lower investor offers was highest in Southern England, excluding London, with the South East seeing 70% of investor offers at least 10% below the first asking price.