Thousands of landlords living abroad

MORE than 11,000 residential properties in Scotland are let by landlords based outside the country.

Research shows more than 8,000 residential landlords live in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and another 3,031 outside Britain.

The figures were published by Safe Deposits Scotland (SDS), which holds tenants’ deposits during a tenancy agreement. In its top ten overseas landlords, Australia was number one with 528, while the US came second with 358. Other owners included 187 based in the United Arab Emirates and 108 in Hong Kong.

Ireland was the most common European country of residence for overseas property owners, at 223. There were also 182 from France, 161 from Spain and 113 from Germany. Among landlords based in the rest of the UK, most – at 7,279 – were in England.

Ian Potter, chairman of SDS, said: ‘Alongside overseas investors will be Scots who have moved abroad – temporarily or permanently – and decided to retain property in Scotland.’