Some 12 per cent of homes to let are operated by a ‘company landlord’ according to an analysis by Countrywide high-end agency brand Hamptons International.

The figure, which has been assessed over the first half of this year, is the highest since 2011 and up from nine per cent in 2015, before the tax changes for non-company landlords were announced.

The increase is partly due to the rise in the proportion of homes let by company landlords, but also due to the increase in the overall size of the rental sector.

The fiscal changes of recent years have prompted many individual landlords to opt for incorporation, to reduce tax liability.

Hamptons estimates that company landlords own 641,480 homes in Great Britain this year, 42 per cent more than in 2015.

Unsurprisingly London landlords are most likely to own a buy to let using a company structure, at 13 per cent.