Some 20% of buy-to-let companies set up in the UK so far this year are owned by non-UK national shareholders.  

The remaining 80% are owned by UK shareholders.  

This figure has risen in nine of the last 10 years, growing from 13% in 2016.

The analysis, by the Hamptons lettings agency, is based on newly established buy-to-let limited firms where Companies House lists one or more shareholders as a non-UK national.  

This means that while these shareholders are not British citizens, they may reside in the UK.  New companies may hold newly bought properties as well as buy-to-lets that have been transferred from personal ownership into a limited company structure.

The number of buy-to-let companies set up across the UK in 2025 is running 8% ahead of last year’s record levels.  

At current rates, around 67,000 new companies will be set up by the end of 2025, with around 13,500 owned, at least in part, by non-UK nationals.

Some 61% of buy-to-let companies set up so far this year had more than one shareholder. In most cases, shareholders tend to share the same nationality.  

Among all companies set up by non-UK nationals this year, 84% are owned by shareholders of the same nationality.

International ownership of new buy-to-let companies has typically followed wider post-Brexit migration trends, says Hamptons.  

While the overall share of non-UK national shareholders has risen, there has been a pivot away from EU nationals.  In 2016, 65% of non-UK shareholders came from the EU, but this figure has fallen to 49% in 2025.

There has also been a general fall in shareholders from English-speaking, countries.  In 2016 Irish, Americans, South Africans and Australians all featured in the top 10.  By 2025, only Irish nationals remained, ranking fourth.

Instead, ownership has moved towards South Asia.  Indians have made up the largest group of non-UK shareholders every year since 2023.  In 2022, they were the second largest nationality among non-UK national purchasers, behind Hong Kongers.