is... gearing. The same factor that gives the buy-to-let landlord his massive advantage in a rising property market is one of his worst enemies in a falling market. With housing markets across the world teetering on the brink of a chasm, now may very well be a good time to evaluate exactly what gearing means to the average buy to let landlord. What exactly is gearing? It's basically another word for leverage. Imagine you want to buy a $100,000 home. The bank or lender, if prudent, will want yo.