Tag Archives: real-estate
Some landlords struggling to get buy to let finance, research suggests
Despite a choice of 900 buy to let mortgages available on the market, lack of finance is hindering almost a quarter of UK landlords, new research has found. The situation is preventing them from expanding their property portfolios, according to the study conducted by online letting agent Property Let By Us. Overall one in 10 landlords has had difficulty securing a mortgage over the last 12 months but 82% of landlords have managed to successfully secure a mortgage at a when the buy to let market has been challenging for landlords. Indeed almost 80% of landlords are reporting rent arrears, nearly a quarter of landlords have served an eviction notice and 7% have had to resort to the courts to evict tenants. The good news is that void periods are down as demand continues to outstrip demand. ‘While the booming buy to let market looks like good news for landlords, the real picture is not so rosy. Spiralling rents are great news for yields, but the down side is that it brings with it a higher risk of rent arrears,’ said Jane Morris, Managing Director of Property Let By Us. ‘Securing finance also looks like it is going to get tougher for landlords. A new high street crackdown now means landlords will need a bigger deposit and face tighter checks for a buy to let loan. High Street lenders are introducing strict criteria in a crackdown on the buy to let boom, which is feared to be pushing up house prices across the UK,’ she explained. ‘The amount landlords will be able to borrow is expected to fall by thousands and they are likely to face new tough lending criteria to secure a buy to let loan. Landlords must also prove that they are not wholly reliant on their rental income and that they will also be able to cope with void periods and any repairs to the property,’ she added. Morris also pointed out that some lenders are introducing new affordability checks, which require landlords to answer such questions as how much they spend on household bills and childcare before they can get a loan. Lenders may also refuse loans to anyone dependent solely on a rental income and some providers expect applicants to have income of at least £25,000 a year from other sources. ‘Landlords need to thoroughly research lenders and ensure they meet the lending criteria before applying for a mortgage,’ Morris concluded. Continue reading
Less prominent locations in Scotland seeing home sales grow
Secondary Scottish locations have come to the forefront of the property market in the year to June with saes in Glasgow, Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute increasing, the latest research shows. Sales in these areas were higher than in Scotland as a whole, with buyers now looking beyond primary locations in search of more affordable and attainable property, according to a new report from Savills. These secondary locations have benefitted from the UK government’s Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme and the Scottish government’s new build scheme, with its £250,000 price limit applicable to greater numbers of properties than in more expensive core areas, the report suggests. Both Glasgow City and West Dunbartonshire have enjoyed a significant increase in supply, with private sector house building completions up by 44% and 75% respectively, driving up transaction levels. In contrast, traditional primary locations such as East Renfrewshire, and Aberdeen City have suffered from a lack of supply and are subsequently lagging in terms of activity, although prices have remained stable. In Argyll and Bute, for example, Helensburgh has seen a resurgence of interest following the referendum, with interest in holiday destinations regaining momentum, according to Faisal Choudhry of Savills. However, across the board, sales above £500,000 have fallen slightly in Scotland due to short term uncertainty following the introduction of Land and Building Transaction Tax (LBTT) in April. ‘We’re confident sales will pick up as the market adjusts to the new system. Below this threshold, the property market is strong and there is still a great deal of activity up to £500,000,’ explained Choudhry. ‘The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme has assisted more first time buyers in Scotland and across the UK to get on the housing ladder with 78% of users purchasing their first home,’ he added. Looking ahead, the scaling back of government initiatives and continued lending constraints could prevent significant growth in Scottish sales levels, according to Savills. ‘The discontinuation of the Help to Buy new build scheme combined with the stricter lending criteria introduced by the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) will limit the number of buyers who can access sufficient lending to purchase property,’ said Choudhry. ‘Anticipated rises in mortgage rates could also dampen activity among those with lower deposits. Consequently, transaction levels are not likely to show double digit growth in the year to June 2016, but we would expect to see a small rise, he added. Continue reading
Asking prices up slightly in UK with London forging ahead
Average asking prices in England and Wales increased by 0.6% in England and Wales in July while in Scotland there was no change month on month, the latest index shows. London prices increased the most, up 1.5% month on month and 12.5% year on year. In England and Wales the annual price growth was 6.2% and in Scotland it was 3.6%, according to the date from Home.co.uk. This takes the average asking price in England and Wales to £281,497 but in London it is £525,145. In Scotland it is £167,680. The data also shows that the supply of property for sale has fallen across the UK, down by 10% year on year and the South East remains the UK’s fastest regional market, with a typical time on market of 61 days. The UK property market continues to enjoy considerable momentum despite talk of mortgage rates rising in the near future, according to Doug Shephard director at Home.co.uk. He pointed out that a combination of buyer demand and short supply is driving prices higher, but at a lesser rate than last year. ‘The supply crisis is becoming more acute, and July recorded the lowest number of properties entering the market for that month since the onset of the financial crisis. Lack of supply is felt most keenly in London and the East of England, where the volumes of properties entering the market are down 23% and 16% respectively,’ said Shepherd. ‘These and other southern regions are clearly sellers' markets and prices are firmly on an upward trajectory. Marketing times in the South East continue to be the lowest in the country. Indeed, across the nation, marketing times are currently around the lowest we have witnessed since 2008,’ he added. He explained that buyer demand coupled with low numbers of properties entering the market has led to a significant reduction in the total stock for sale. The number of properties on the market in England and Wales is 11% lower than in August last year and 39% less than in August 2007. ‘Hence in the southern regions, where supply problems are most acute, buyers have only half the choice that was afforded to them eight years ago. Ultra low interest rates and other stimulus measures have ensured that more money, largely new debt, is chasing ever fewer properties,’ Shephard said. Whilst national supply levels are at an all-time low and trending down, a more detailed regional analysis of supply shows how this key market driver varies across the nation. What is immediately evident is that those regions which have suffered the greatest reductions in supply over the last seven years have also shown the greatest price growth. Shephard pointed out that along with demand, supply is a key market driver with direct consequences for regional property market performance. London shows the biggest contraction in supply over the last eight years, of 69%. ‘For the buyer, this means that whereas before there were, say, 10… Continue reading
