Some 39% of UK landlords and investors are planning to increase the size of their portfolio over the next 12 months, compared to 11% who intend to reduce theirs.

That is according to an independent survey commissioned by Experience Invest, which asked more than 500 buy-to-let landlords and real estate investors across the UK how they plan to manage their property portfolios in 2019.

It found that the remaining investors either have no intention of buying or selling any property in 2019 (35%) or will be selling some assets to then reinvest in new properties (15%).

Of those who are planning to invest in more properties in 2019, Experience Invest unveiled the top 10 regions and cities that most people are considering. 

In terms of the most popular cities, London (35%) just beat Manchester (33%) to secure the top spot. Liverpool (25%) and Nottingham (15%) came in third and fourth, followed by Bristol and Leeds (14% and 13% respectively).

The rest of the top 10 consisted of Birmingham and Newcastle (both 12%), Luton (11%), and a four-way tie between Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sheffield (8%).

When looking at the types of property that investors were considering investing in this year, houses were the most popular at 67%, followed by flats at 54%. Some 39% of respondents were keen to invest in new-build residential properties, while 24% were interested in student accommodation properties.

Commercial (34%) and semi-commercial (21%) real estate were the other leading asset types among UK property investors.

Jerald Solis, business development and acquisitions director at Experience Invest, said despite tighter tax regulations on landlords and ongoing Brexit uncertainty, real estate as an investment asset is still hugely popular.

“It’s interesting to see that, while London remains the most popular location for property investment, other regions across the UK are very close behind,” he said.

“In particular, the North West has established itself as something of a ‘hotspot’ for buy-to-let investors, with cities like Liverpool and Manchester providing strong rental yields and healthy capital growth.”