In the United Kingdom, the number of landlords has increased by 2.4% with the largest growth occurring in the capital over the past three years, to about 2.6 million people.
London not only has the most landlords, with 463,200 but also the highest rise from 2018/19, with an 8.4% increase.
London has also experienced some of the highest rises in the number of landlords at the local government level.
The East of England (4%) and the South East (3.4%), which has the second-highest number of landlords (459,410), have also witnessed some of the largest increases in landlord numbers.
Continue reading to find out about the biggest landlords in London.
List of the biggest landlords in London:
- Canary Wharf Group plc
- The Queen in Right of Her Crown, The Crown Estate
- Grosvenor Group Limited
- The British Land Company plc
- Network Rail
Contents
1. Canary Wharf Group plc
Canary Wharf Group plc is a British real estate firm with a London, England headquarters.
It is the owner and developer of about 40 hectares (0.100 km2) of land in Canary Wharf and other areas of London. It has built more office space in London than any other developer during the past decade.
The business holds 7,900,000 square feet (730,000 square meters) of property worth £4.9 billion, 95.6% of which was leased as of 30 June 2012.
The companies Brookfield Property Partners and Qatar Investment Authority own Canary Wharf Group plc.
The group owns Canary Wharf Contractors, which has constructed the majority of Canary Wharf’s structures.
The Canary Wharf Group has also formed Vertus, a build-to-rent division with Canary Wharf properties under construction.
Area (sq ft): 21,452,796
2. The Queen in Right of Her Crown, The Crown Estate
The Crown Estate, also known as “the sovereign’s public estate,” is a group of lands and properties in the United Kingdom that are owned by the monarch as a corporation sole and are neither a part of the monarch’s private estate nor government property.
The sovereign does not participate in the management or administration of the estate and exercises only a limited degree of authority over its activities.
The estate’s enormous portfolio is instead managed by a semi-independent, incorporated public entity led by the Crown Estate Commissioners, who wield “the powers of ownership” although not being “owners in their own right.”
The Crown Estate is one of the largest property managers in the United Kingdom, managing assets valued at £14.1 billion, with urban buildings valued at £9.1 billion being the majority of the estate by value.
Its holdings comprise the entirety of Regent Street and approximately half of St. James’s in London’s West End, as well as retail property in Oxford, Nottingham, Exeter, Harlow, Newcastle, and Swansea, among other cities.
It also holds approximately 116,000 hectares (287,000 acres) of agricultural land and woods, in addition to minerals and residential and commercial property, which make up the holdings.
The estate also controls 7,920 km2 of agricultural land and forest and more than half of the UK’s foreshore and retains many other traditional assets and privileges.
The Crown Estate issues licenses or leases for around 850 aquaculture sites along the coastline and possesses marina space for approximately 18,000 berths.
As of the year 2020, maritime holdings were worth £4.1 billion.
The Crown Estate has a significant impact on the growth of the offshore wind energy industry in the United Kingdom.
In addition to wave and tidal energy, aggregates, carbon capture and storage, underwater cables and pipelines, and potash mining, the Crown Estate manages further commercial activities on the seabed.
Area (sq ft): 7,266,023
3. Grosvenor Group Limited
Grosvenor Group Limited is an internationally diversified real estate company with roots dating back to 1677 with a headquarters in London, England.
It has a global reach, with offices in 14 of 62 foreign cities, run on behalf of its owners, the Duke of Westminster and his family.
It has a portfolio of indirect investments and four regional development and investment divisions (Britain and Ireland, the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific).
In addition to hotels, its properties include residential, retail, office, and industrial.
Although the Grosvenor Group is commonly associated with the Grosvenor Estate in London, which is now managed by Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, the current investment and development portfolio also includes properties in other regions of Britain and Ireland.
Area (sq ft): 3,112,294
4. The British Land Company plc
The British Land Company plc is one of the country’s leading real estate development and investment firms.
In January 2007, when REITs were created in the United Kingdom, the company became a real estate investment trust. It has its main office in London, England.
It is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and a founding member of the European Public Real Estate Association, as well as being listed on the London Stock Exchange.
As of 31 March 2021, the value of the company’s portfolio was £6.3 billion.
The portfolio consists of the Meadowhall shopping center in Sheffield, one of the largest in the United Kingdom, as well as a substantial amount of property purchased from and leased back to major retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, House of Fraser, and Asda.
Area (sq ft): 6,410,015
5. Network Rail
Network Rail operates and improves the United Kingdom’s rail system.
This comprises tens of thousands of level crossings, signals, and stations, as well as tens of thousands of miles of track, bridges, tunnels, and viaducts.
They are developing into a company that is on the side of passengers and cargo users, is easy to work with and a reliable partner, and is immediately recognized as a market leader.
Network Rail has around 2,500 railroad stations, which are categorized into six groups.
In a few instances, the train operating company does not serve the station and hence does not manage or operate it.
CrossCountry provides service to Hinckley, although East Midlands Railway manages the station.
They oversee 20 of the major stations in the United Kingdom, while train operating companies manage the remaining thousands.
Area (sq ft): 4,903,713