Research for the Paragon Bank found that there has been a 60% surge in landlords remortgaging buy-to-let properties to fund building improvements.

Equity totalling £2.37 billion was withdrawn in 2025, compared with £1.48 billion in 2024, an increase of 60%. There were 13,817 remortgages in 2025, with an average loan amount of £43,000. In 2024, there were 9,754 remortgage deals.

This increase in borrowing coincides with the Renters Rights Act, which requires all residential rental properties to achieve a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. This likely means that one of the main property improvements landlords need to finance is increasing energy efficiency to meet the required EPC rating. Although they have until 2030 to achieve an EPC rating of C or above, many landlords have improved or intend to improve the energy efficiency of their properties well ahead of this deadline.

Earlier research by Paragon Bank found that the main improvements landlords make in their properties to upgrade them are to install a new boiler and address damp and structural issues.

A total of 40% of landlords say they intend to refinance in 2026, 57% of whom own four or more homes.

Louisa Sedgwick, Managing Director of Mortgages at Paragon Bank, says that 60% of landlords who have made improvements to increase energy efficiency have not yet hired an EPC assessor to upgrade the EPC rating. This can mean failing energy efficiency compliance, and also missing out on favourably priced green finance.