Worst Over? Buy To Let mortgage market bounces back...

Breaking News

07 March 2023

6403 Reads
29 Comments

By Graham Norwood

TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Worst Over? Buy To Let mortgage market bounces back

It looks like the buy to let mortgage market has bounced back after the disastrous mini-Budget.

Moneyfacts, an independent mortgage monitor, says the product choice for landlords has risen to levels not seen since August 2022.

Overall BTL product availability (fixed and variable) has improved month-on-month and there are now 2,400 options available, the highest count since July. Moneyfacts describes this as “an encouraging sign of recovery.”

Average fixed rates have fallen month-on-month, both over a two-year or five-year fixed term. However, based on average rates, those coming off a five- or two-year fixed deal will find the latest rates are more than 2.0 per cent higher.

Rachel Springall, Moneyfact’s finance expert, comments: “It is encouraging to see buy to let product choice gradually recover from the shock surrounding the fiscal announcement. The choice of deals to landlords plummeted and both the average two and five-year fixed rates rose to 6.0 per cent towards the tail end of 2022, but thankfully, both rates have slowly dipped below this level.

“There are now 2,400 deals for landlords to choose from, up from just 988 in October 2022, thanks to consecutive months of growth.

“The drop in average buy to let rates appear more subdued than seen within the residential mortgage sector, but lenders have made moves to entice new business despite some investors’ concerns surrounding rental income margins.”

She continues: “As both the average two- and five-year fixed rates sit above 5.0 per cent, compared to around 3.0 per cent a year ago, it’s clear that landlords are likely to see their monthly repayments much higher than they perhaps anticipated. There may even be those looking to sell up this year because of the rise in interest rates, tax changes for holiday lets and CGT or even EPC requirements – all of which dampen profit margins or investment returns on sale of a property.

“Landlords may be waiting for fixed mortgage rates to come down further or indeed opt for a tracker mortgage to give them more flexibility to eventually switch their deal.

"However, interest rates are only part of the decision-making process when entering a buy-to-let investment. Whether that be for new or existing landlords, it is always wise to seek advice to ensure it is the right time to commit to a deal.”

We're excited to announce that we're working on building a shiny new website for readers of Landlord Today! As part of this process, commenting on articles will be temporarily disabled. We look forward to sharing our new and improved Landlord Today website with you shortly!