The Residential Landlords Association is urging the Chancellor to change the tax treatment of landlords in next week’s Budget.

It wants landlords to be recognised as running businesses, and taxed accordingly.

The RLA, which is also suggesting other measures, says the Chancellor must take action in order to encourage more investment in the sector.

Alan Ward, chairman of the RLA, said: “The Chancellor’s forthcoming Budget is the most important one that he will deliver. With the construction industry on its knees and the economy failing to grow, the country desperately needs growth, and growth now.

“As the only housing tenure growing, the army of smaller scale landlords across the UK desperately need much greater support from the Government to unlock the economic potential that considerably boosting the supply of rented homes would provide.”