Landlord searches for company transfers and selling surge ahead of 28 October Budget, insurer’s Google Trends analysis shows

Searches by UK landlords for ways to restructure or sell their rental properties have risen sharply in the run-up to the Autumn Budget, according to analysis by specialist landlord insurer CIA Landlords of Google Trends data.

The Budget will be held on Wednesday 28 October 2026, according to Chancellor John Healey’s letter to the Treasury Select Committee published on GOV.UK on 31 July 2026.

What the search data shows

CIA Landlords said it ran the analysis on 15 October 2026 using Google Trends data for the UK, across 30-day and 90-day periods. It reported that searches for “transfer property to limited company” and “property SPV” (Special Purpose Vehicle) both increased by more than 5,000% in the past month, compared with the preceding month.

Searches for “buy to let limited company” were up more than 5,000% on the same period last year, the insurer said. It also reported a “breakout” rise of more than 5,000% for “landlord tax change”, “sell buy to let” and “selling rental property”.

CIA Landlords explained that a “Breakout” status on Google Trends indicates a search term has seen an exceptional increase in search volume compared with the previous baseline period. The company did not publish the underlying search volumes. It said the search trends “reflect exploration rather than confirmed decisions or transactions”, and that, taken together, they suggest landlords are considering a range of options, “from restructuring how they own their properties to scaling back”.

The figures come from search behaviour, not from a survey of landlords, so they do not show how many landlords have acted or intend to act.

Insurance checks when ownership changes

The insurer said that moving a property into a limited company or SPV changes who legally owns it, and therefore who needs to be insured. CIA Landlords said a policy taken out in a landlord’s personal name will no longer be valid once the title deed has been transferred, and that landlords will need a new policy issued under the company’s registered name. It added that landlords with more than one property should check each is covered under the right policy and the right name, particularly if only part of a portfolio is being moved.

For landlords who sell, CIA Landlords said most standard policies contain unoccupancy terms. If a property stays empty for more than a set period, often 30 to 60 consecutive days, owners may need specialist unoccupied property cover, it said. Otherwise they could be unprotected against risks such as escape of water, fire or accidental damage. The insurer cited an average time to sell a home of five months, and said terms vary between insurers.

Nick Long, Managing Director of CIA Landlords, said:

“Our research shows that speculation before the Autumn Budget is driving property owners to look at their portfolios and evaluate their options. What’s important to understand is that if a landlord moves a property into a limited company or SPV, it’s usually the company, not the landlord personally that will need to be named on the insurance policy. To avoid coming into complications down the line, it is better to have this arranged with your insurance broker or insurer before the transfer than to find out afterwards that something has been missed.”

“This also applies to properties that are between tenants or are on the market. Landlord insurance policies typically have conditions around how long a property can be empty, so it’s important to check the wording of the policy. Whether a landlord decides to move a property into a limited company or sell up, they should speak to qualified financial advisor and their insurance broker or insurer to ensure that they are covered.”

The size of the private rented sector

The private rented sector is the second-largest housing tenure in England. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025 headline findings reported that the private rented sector accounted for 19% of households, behind owner occupation at 65%. The survey’s interview fieldwork ran from the end of March 2024 to March 2025.

The same official statistics reported that 11% of private rented dwellings were vacant at the time of the survey, and that mean weekly private rents were £393 in London and £207 in the rest of England. They also recorded that the share of London households renting privately fell from 32% in 2023-24 to 28% in 2024-25.