Number of buy to let mortgages for investors doubles

More than double the number of buy to let (BTL) mortgage products are now available in the UK than there were in the first quarter of 2010, according to a specialist mortgage broker.

Complex buy to let transactions provide highest yields for investors and have grown strongly since end of 2010, says the latest Buy To Let Index from Mortgages For Business.

In the first quarter of 2010, an average of 142 products were available to buy to let investors. This figure has more than doubled to an average of 298 products in the first three months of 2011. This rise is due in part to the entrance, or re-entrance, of four mortgage lenders to the market but can be attributed mainly to lender response to high demand from the investor market and an easing of lending criteria which has allowed for more diverse product ranges.

Average LTVs for vanilla buy to let transactions are now at 66%, three percentage points up from the end of 2010 and six percentage points up from the end of 2009. There has also been an easing of criteria for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) transactions. Average LTVs for these mortgages are now 63% compared to 61% at the end of 2010.
 
Complex BTL transactions provide the highest yields for investors and yield growth has been strong over the first quarter of 2011. HMO transactions now provide an average yield of 9.3% compared to 8.7% at the end of 2010 and Multi-unit Freehold Blocks (MUFB) now yield 7.4% compared to 5.3% in 2010.

‘As the owner-occupier market continues its slow ambling advance through no mans land the private rental sector is flourishing. Unprecedented demand from renters is encouraging professional landlords and investors to grow their portfolios and this demand has been met to some degree by lenders expanding their BTL product ranges, particularly in the vanilla section of the market,’ said David Whittaker, managing director at Mortgages for Business.

'But savvy investors know the best returns are available from more complex deals. House of multiple occupancy and multi unit freehold deals can offer yields of nearly 10% which is a staggering return on investment when compared to the meagre returns offered by savings and investment funds,’ he added.

Philip George, joint managing director of Whiteaway Laidlaw Bank, welcomes the launch of the index. ‘This data analysis adds to our database in sectors that will be important to our diverse new lending programme. We look forward to working with Mortgages for Business on this initiative and will compare our own data carefully with their outputs into the second quarter and beyond,’ he said.