Limited Company Buy-to-Let Mortgages in 2026: What Companies House Charges Show Letting Agents

Companies holding between one and four properties accounted for 57% of the charges registered against property-owning companies in England and Wales in the first seven months of 2026. Across 2023 as a whole, the figure was 52%.

A recent Landlord Today report predicted a rise in buy-to-let remortgaging in 2027. To see what the lending records already show, Propalt analysed Companies House charges against property-owning companies with Estate Agent Today, which published the findings in its feature The story behind the stories: Shining a light on the changing property finance market. The 57% figure comes from that analysis.

For letting agents, many of whose landlords run modest portfolios, the useful question is narrower: what do limited company buy-to-let mortgages in 2026 say about the landlords you manage for, and the ones you want to win?

What are Companies House charges, and what do they not tell you?

A charge is the security a lender takes over a company's assets, and for a property company that usually means a mortgage over one or more of its properties. Under sections 859A and 859H of the Companies Act 2006, a charge that is not delivered to Companies House within 21 days of its creation is void against a liquidator, administrator or creditor of the company. Lenders therefore register almost every charge they take, which makes the register a fairly complete record of company borrowing secured on property.

It has limits, and the figures below should be read with them in mind:

• It counts charges. It does not count loans. One charge can secure several properties, and the register does not show the amount borrowed.
• It cannot separate purchases from refinancing. A new charge can follow a purchase, a remortgage to a new lender or a transfer of properties into a company.
• Portfolio sizes reflect current holdings. A company counted as a one-property landlord may have owned more or fewer homes when the charge was registered.

The data is still useful. The register shows where borrowing activity is happening and which lenders are taking the security. It does not show amounts.

Which landlords are borrowing through a buy-to-let limited company or SPV?

Smaller companies, and in growing numbers. Propalt's analysis found:

• Single-property companies. Charges registered against companies holding one property rose from 19,276 in 2023 to 31,795 in 2025, an increase of 65%.
• Large portfolios. Charges against companies holding 100 or more properties barely moved: 3,721 in 2023 and 3,718 in 2025.
• The whole market. Registered charges rose from 107,381 in 2024 to 126,932 in 2025, and January to July 2026 ran 7.4% ahead of the same months of 2025.
• First-time borrowers. 27,309 companies registered their first charge in 2025, 41% of all companies charged that year.

The average number of charges per company stayed at about 1.9 in both 2024 and 2025. The growth came from more companies borrowing. Each company borrowed about as often as before.

"Charge activity is growing fastest among landlords with one to four properties, the same landlords many letting agents manage for."

This sits awkwardly beside the familiar story of landlords leaving the sector. Our article on landlords selling up covers the exit side, and it is real. The charge data does not prove that more landlords are entering the market. It does show that a large and growing group of small landlords are actively financing property through companies, and each of those charges marks a recent decision about a portfolio.

Which buy-to-let mortgage lenders are growing in the limited company market?

Two high street groups grew sharply in 2026 while several established specialist lenders registered fewer charges. Charges registered against property-owning companies, January to July 2026:

The Mortgage Works remained the largest single lender, just ahead of Together. OSB Group (Precise Mortgages, Kent Reliance) registered 8% fewer charges; its total was not published. BM Solutions launched its digital limited company proposition for brokers in July 2025. A year later it was among the ten largest lenders by registered charges. Godiva, Coventry Building Society's buy-to-let brand, went from 188 charges to 2,772 over the same comparison. Between them the two brands accounted for 6.4% of charges in the period, and Lloyds Banking Group as a whole (Lloyds Bank plus BM Solutions) reached 3,738, fourth among lender groups on Propalt's figures.

Over the same months, Aldermore, Paragon and OSB Group all registered fewer charges while the market grew 7.4%. The data does not say why. It cannot show whether the newer entrants are pricing more keenly or whether borrowers are switching lender at remortgage, and agents should not present it to landlords as proof of either.

Why does this matter if you are not a mortgage broker?

A charge marks a moment when a landlord was making decisions. A company that has just bought, refinanced or moved properties into a company structure has reviewed its costs, and management fees are one of them. A company registering its first charge may be a landlord who has just set up, possibly with no agent yet. It may also be an existing landlord moving properties into a company.

The lender pattern matters for a second reason. When high street groups compete hard for small company landlords, refinancing gets easier for exactly the landlords who are thinking about whether to keep, grow or sell. If the predicted 2027 remortgage wave arrives, many of those landlords will review the rest of their arrangements at the same time.

"A new charge on a landlord company is a dated record that someone recently made a decision about their portfolio."

What should letting agents do with this?

Four practical steps, in the order most agencies would take them:

1. Check your own book. Look at which of your landlords hold property through companies. Ask when their fixed rates end. In Propalt, the Charge Anniversary filter helps you see when those dates are likely to fall. A landlord remortgaging in 2027 is also a landlord reviewing costs in 2027.
2. Look for new companies in your area. First-time charges in your postcodes point to landlords who may have set up recently. Our guide to finding landlord data in the UK explains how agents find and contact portfolio landlords from ownership data.
3. Time your approach. A letter that arrives soon after a charge, a purchase or a portfolio change reaches the landlord while the decision is live. Our guide on how to find new landlords covers the methods.
4. Keep the claims honest. If you use this data in landlord conversations, describe it as registered charges, not mortgage approvals or amounts lent. Overstating it is the quickest way to lose a landlord who knows their finance.

In Propalt's Audience Builder, the Lenders & Charges filter lists charges registered against companies, with the lender, the date each charge was created and how many charges the company holds. Filter by lender or charge anniversary, add the Portfolios filter to keep only portfolio landlords, then send a letter campaign to the owners. It is a direct way to grow your lettings book from landlords who have just made a decision about their portfolio.

📌 KEY TAKEAWAY

Charges registered against limited company landlords grew in 2025 and again in early 2026, and smaller companies drove that growth. Landlords with one to four properties accounted for 57% of charges from January to July 2026, and single-property companies registered 65% more charges in 2025 than in 2023. Two high street groups, Lloyds through BM Solutions and Coventry through Godiva, grew sharply while Aldermore, Paragon and OSB registered fewer charges. The register counts charges. It does not show loan amounts, and it cannot separate purchases from refinancing. Each charge still marks a landlord who recently made a decision about their portfolio, and that is when a letting agent's approach is most likely to be heard.

SOURCES & DATA REFERENCES

1. Estate Agent Today (7 November 2026). 'The story behind the stories: Shining a light on the changing property finance market.' Propalt analysis of Companies House charges against property-owning companies in England and Wales, 2023 to July 2026. estateagenttoday.co.uk/features/2026/11/the-story-behind-the-stories-shining-a-light-on-the-changing-property-finance-market/
2. Propalt (November 2026). Analysis of Companies House charges registered against property-owning companies in England and Wales, January 2023 to July 2026. Charge counts by portfolio size and lender; portfolio sizes based on current holdings.
3. legislation.gov.uk. 'Companies Act 2006, section 859A: Charges created by a company.' 21-day period for delivering a charge to the registrar. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/859A
4. legislation.gov.uk. 'Companies Act 2006, section 859H: Consequence of failure to deliver charges.' Unregistered charge void against a liquidator, administrator or creditor. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/859H
5. Mortgage Solutions (30 July 2025). 'BM Solutions launches digital limited company proposition.' Launch of BM Solutions' limited company buy-to-let offer for brokers. mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2025/07/30/bm-solutions-launches-digital-limited-company-proposition/
6. Landlord Today (November 2026). 'Buy To Let remortgaging set to boom in 2027.' Forecast of a rise in buy-to-let remortgaging in 2027. landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2026/11/buy-to-let-remortgaging-set-to-boom-in-2027/