Landlords invest significant ‘sweat equity’ alongside capital in rental portfolios

18 February 2026

• Landlords spend an average of 31 hours per month managing their rental properties
• This rises to 78 hours among those with 11 or more properties
• Time commitment is highest among larger, leveraged and HMO landlords
  
  Wednesday 18th February, 2026

Letting property is a labour-intensive activity, requiring significant time as well as financial investment, research from Pegasus Insight reveals.

The latest Landlord Trends Q4 2025 data shows that landlords now spend an average of 31 hours per month managing their rental properties, equivalent to almost four working days. For landlords with 11 or more properties, the time commitment rises sharply to 78 hours per month, or almost 10 working days.

The research highlights the growing operational demands of portfolio management, particularly among larger and more complex landlords. While 57% of properties use some form of letting agent service, reported time commitments are broadly similar regardless of whether landlords use an agent, suggesting that oversight, compliance, property upkeep and financial management remain firmly with the property owner. Time invested is highest among those with buy-to-let mortgages, HMO holdings and larger portfolios, reflecting the additional complexity associated with scale and structured borrowing.

Alongside this 'sweat equity', landlords also report substantial financial commitment. On average, landlords estimate that around 23% to 24% of their gross rental income is absorbed by running and maintenance costs, underlining the dual time and cash burden of portfolio management.

Mark Long, managing director and founder of Pegasus Insight, commented:

“There is often a perception that letting property is a relatively passive activity, that landlords just sit back and let the cash roll in. But the data tells a different story. For many landlords, particularly those operating at scale, portfolio management represents a significant monthly time commitment.

“As regulatory and operational requirements have increased, so too has the administrative and compliance workload. Larger landlords, those whose properties are financed using a mortgage and those operating HMOs are naturally exposed to greater complexity, and that is reflected in the hours they invest.

“The combination of rising time demands and ongoing cost pressures reinforces the fact that the Private Rented Sector is becoming increasingly professionalised. Successful landlords are devoting both capital and active management effort to sustain the performance of their investments.”