Fergus Wilson, the UK’s most controversial landlord, says he wouldn’t bother entering the buy to let sector. Wilson owns 400 properties across Kent. He used to own around 1,000 properties, but he’s been selling them off since 2016. There was some the talk of him selling his entire portfolio, but so far, he hasn’t done this.
Wilson says the buy to let sector was very good up until 2000. He says he had no trouble expanding his portfolio prior to then, and he didn’t need a letting agent to manage his properties. Today, things are very different. He believes the government is making things increasingly difficult for private landlords.
The Government is Overwhelming Buy to Let Investors
“The government now obviously wants the sector to be run by companies and institutions, and it’s making life very hard for individual investors. I operate with the cards I’ve been dealt so I’m staying in the sector – but I wouldn’t have gone into it originally like it is now,” he says.
Fergus Wilson is Diversifying his Investment Business
Wilson will be 70-years-old next month, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Although he’s still managing his buy to let portfolio – and attracting negative press thanks to some of his more controversial policies – he now owns a significant chunk of land. Wilson says the land is large enough for 80 new-build properties, which suggests he might be expanding into home-building.