Fresh research indicates that appetite for becoming a buy-to-let landlord has fallen sharply, continuing a multi-year decline that began well before the current cost-of-living squeeze. This is not a minor sentiment shift — it represents a structural retreat from an asset class that once formed the backbone of private rental supply in the UK. For an industry that houses roughly 4.6 million households in England alone, a sustained fall in landlord interest carries consequences that stretch far beyond individual investment decisions.