buy-to-let market
-
Adam Walker
A huge vote of confidence in the lettings market
A major acquisition of three big brands in the lettings market signals buy to let is not dead, but consolidation is on its way.
Read More » -
Latest property news
Stamp Duty holiday fails to fuel buy-to-let spending spree by investors
Little sign that large numbers of new investors are buying buy-to-lets despite the Stamp Duty holiday, according to new report.
Read More » -
Features
The mortgage market – the squeeze is on
The fallout from Covid and the Stamp Duty holiday have pushed mortgage demand to unprecedented levels and some buyers are still finding it hard to get a loan, as Richard Reed discovered.
Read More » -
Features
Deposits, rates and loans
Andrea Kirkby reviews the latest offerings and restrictions within the UK mortgage market.
Read More » -
Latest property news
Investors hung out to dry as BoE gets tough
The Bank of England has announced plans to introduce more stringent checks on buy-to-let lenders amid concerns that the property investment market is moving into bubble territory. The Bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority said it was putting in place a “guardrail” to prevent banks from making risky loans, warning that 20 per cent of lenders were not carrying out the necessary checks. The main concern is that a bubble in the buy-to-let market could cause a wider housing market slowdown, which would be bad news for millions of people who have invested in property, as part of their retirement. More than 1.7 million properties have buy-to-let mortgages, which represented 17 per cent of loans used to acquire residential properties last year. “You might form expectations about what the necessary long-term saving to support your retirement will be, which can then (if house prices fall) be transformed quite suddenly in ways that, frankly, are unwelcome,” Bailey said. Andrew Bailey (left), who currently heads up the Prudential Regulation Authority, told the press that the Bank of England has “nothing against” buy-to-let landlords, but believes that new restrictions on mortgages for buy-to-let investors will help reduce the risk of “very volatile boom and bust…
Read More » -
Latest property news
Budget 2016: Housing reaction
George Osborne’s eighth Budget was another intriguing one for the property market, particularly the residential market. He confirmed that the 3 per cent higher rate of stamp duty for those acquiring a second home or buy-to-let property will come into force at the start of April 2016, but he sprung an almighty surprise by announcing that larger investors will not be exempt from the higher stamp duty, as previously thought, which will apply equally for purchases by individuals and corporate investors. Although the Government’s reversal on the exemption for large-scale investors is surprising, it is unlikely to lead to a significant dampening of interest in the build-to-rent sector, according Gráinne Gilmore, Head of UK residential research at Knight Frank. She commented, “Bulk purchases of residential units at the lower value end of the scale will be most affected by the Chancellor’s move, which seems counter to the government’s pledge to provide more affordable housing. But the rental market is an entrenched and growing part of the UK housing market, and as such, institutional investment in this asset class will likely continue to grow.” It was also announced that home movers who have a period that overlaps between buying one property…
Read More » -
Housing Market
Changes in housing tenure
The buy-to-let market is not a problem, it is a much needed solution, says Frank Webster, Vice Chairman, Finders Keepers in Oxfordshire.
Read More »
