It is expected that gross buy-to-let lending in 2019 will be recorded at around £37 billion but what are the prospects for this sector in 2020?

Some industry pundits have suggested that buy-to-let lending may fall slightly during the coming twelve months as the relatively buoyant remortgage market in 2019 begins to slow; more landlords are now choosing 5-year fixed rates rather than shorter term products which is lengthening the remortgage cycle.

The trend for longer term fixes was stimulated by the 2017 PRA regulations impacting affordability assessments and rent stress tests. For our buy-to-let mortgage business, over fifty per cent of applications were for 5-year fixed rates in 2019.

The purchase market was sluggish in 2019, due in part to the reticence among professional landlords caused by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. However, following the general election in December and the success of Boris Johnson’s ‘Let’s get Brexit done’ campaign, the path ahead seems clearer; we are definitely leaving the EU.

Now that the political furore of 2019 has abated, there may be a boost to the buy-to-let sector as portfolio landlords release a pent-up demand for new property investment and begin resurgence in the appetite for purchase finance.

It is certainly a good time to obtain buy-to-let finance as strong competition in the marketplace has led to prices being driven down, with rates currently below 1.50 per cent with some High Street lenders, but rates may have bottomed out.

There is still economic uncertainty in the UK as we endeavour to leave the EU in the best possible circumstances and until the new Governor of the Bank of England is in situ. Depending on Brexit developments and other socio-economic factors, there could be some movement in interest rates in the coming year, although a difficult thing to predict without a crystal ball.

What does seem clear is that lenders have a strong appetite for buy-to-let business and some have adapted their lending criteria to widen their appeal to landlords. For example, there are now more lenders offering buy-to-let finance for expats, limited companies, HMO landlords and AirBnB.

This trend is likely to continue in 2020 with lenders modifying their propositions as the demand for more specialist or ‘complex’ buy-to-let mortgages continues. Recently published figures from UK Finance for buy-to-let lending in 2018 indicated that specialist lenders recorded higher rates of growth compared to banks and building societies.

However, following the PRA regulations relating to ‘professional landlords’ (those with 4 or more mortgaged buy-to-let properties), there is still a divide between those lenders servicing large property portfolio investors and those opting to limit their offering to smaller scale landlords. This is likely to remain the case in 2020, with lenders deciding on their target market and honing their propositions accordingly.

Pretty shortly, the general election results will be known and there maybe a clearer picture of how Brexit is going to be delivered. Alternatively, there could be further delays and more confusion surrounding the final outcome for the UK. 

Political party manifestos often contain starkly different promises on key issues and it’s probably safe to assume that the election winner will not deliver all of them. It is difficult to predict what effect there will be on the economy and whether any significant tax changes will be implemented in 2020.

Regardless of the party in power, the UK will probably still be a viable option for foreign property investors, especially if the weakened pound persists during the next phase of Brexit. The property market in Britain has always attracted overseas investment and is also a popular investment strategy for British expatriates living abroad.

We frequently receive enquiries for expat buy-to-let mortgages and over the last 12 months there has been an increase in the number of lenders and products available for UK citizens living overseas. In fact, we have over 20 buy-to-let providers on our lender panel offering financial solutions for expats. 

Due to the myriad of options available, buy-to-let expat cases can be relatively straightforward to place. However, there are some key criteria points worth being aware of when arranging expat finance. 

Although a rather obvious place to start, country of residence is an important factor when assessing the product options available. Most lenders will accept any EEA country, others will include any that are on the FAFT list, and some lenders publish a specific list indicating the countries they will or won’t lend to. It is quite surprising how many places in the world are acceptable residencies for expat applicants, however the majority of our expat clients live in the EU, USA, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Most lenders will require applicants to have a UK bank account and an existing property in the UK (either residential or buy-to-let). As some expats sell their residential property before moving abroad this can be a stumbling block, however there are a few lenders who will consider applicants without a UK property including Saffron Building Society and Skipton International.

Expat lenders usually have specific requirements around employment status, preferring applicants who work for a multi-national company with a higher minimum income threshold, for example, £40,000 for The Mortgage Lender or £50,000 for Interbay. Self-employment income requirements are sometimes higher still.

Minimum loan sizes can also be an issue with expat buy-to-let cases as the threshold is usually between £100,000 and £150,000 with most lenders. However, Saffron Building Society is one of our most popular expat lenders with a minimum loan size of £30,000, neither a minimum income requirement or any specific restrictions on country of residence.

Another competitive provider in the expat space is Foundation Home Loans offering some of the most attractive rates in the market, but they will only accept limited company applications. Keystone products are also priced keenly,and they will accept both personal name and limited company applications.

Our free online buy-to-let sourcing system has a built-in search filter for expat mortgages and is a useful tool for brokers to use when researching the market for the best expat deals. Although there is normally a premium to pay for expat finance, we have hundreds of options to choose from currently starting at 2.49 per cent.

Expat buy-to-let mortgages aren’t necessarily more difficult to arrange but asking the right questions at the outset can help save time.