In The Press 2012

Buy-to-let remains popular in early 2012 - 17 May 2012

New buy-to-let lending in the first quarter of this year totalled £3.7billion (32,300 loans), according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.This was 5% down on the fourth quarter of 2011. While 32% higher than in the first quarter of 2011, buy-to-let lending is still only around a third of its 2007 levels. Read more...

Surge in buy-to-let investors increasing portfolios - 3 May 2012

There has been a surge in house-buying activity by landlords. Independent research commissioned by specialist buy-to-let lender Paragon Mortgages has revealed that in the first quarter of this year, landlords increased their portfolio size from an average of nine to 10.8 properties. Read more...

Buy-to-let "Euro-regulation" delayed - 28 April 2012

European politicians have delayed voting on buy to let regulation and other key home loan proposals. The vote was scheduled to go before the European Parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee earlier this week (April 25, 2012). Read more...

Hometrack warns ov er EU plans for BTL market - 17 April 2012

EU plans to clamp down on buy-to-let mortgage lending could limit the future growth of the UK’s buy-to-let sector. The warning has come from the property analyst firm Hometrack. Read more...

Yields and rents to remain strong in 2012 - 27 March 2012

A 4.8% growth in the average monthly rent led buy-to-let investors across the UK to achieve a rental yield of 6.1% in 2011, according to figures from BM Solutions. Strong demand for rental properties increased further last year, with the average monthly rent climbing to £716 in 2011 from £682 in 2010 as a result. Read more...

Confident landlords plan portfolio expansion - 9 March 2012

Confidence among property investors is high as three in five plan to expand their portfolios over the next six months, according to specialist mortgage broker Mortgages for Business. Read more... 

Investor landlords: Get a survey says RICS - 8 March 2012

Private landlords have been urged by the RICS to arrange a Homebuyer or Building Sruvey before committing to buy older properties. The continuing buy-to-let boom, coupled with the shortage of houses for sale, means landlords have little choice but to buy properties which need work. Read more...

Current tax system stifles landlords - 2 March 2012

The current tax treatment of private landlords is stifling investment in the sector and major changes are required if the supply of rented accommodation is to be boosted to overcome the shortage, according to a landlord organisation. Read more...

Buy-to-Let landlords urged to get it right - 24 February 2012

Buy-to-let investments are once again increasing in popularity as landlords purchased 20% more property last year, tempted back by cheaper house prices and higher rents. Read more...

Location, Location, Location - 14 February 2012

Early indications show that there is hope for the Buy to Let market (BTL) in an otherwise gloomy 2012. Despite talk of a double-dip recession, economic slowdown and the Eurozone crisis, Rightmove announced an all-time record number of visitors to their site in mid-January. Read more...

More buy-to-let property purchases - 11 February 2012

The number of properties being bought with buy-to-let mortgages increased by around 84,000 in 2011, according to latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The CML said that this had modestly helped increase the supply of private rented housing in the UK. Read more...

Buy-to-let bucks trends - 10 February 2012

The number of properties being bought with buy-to-let mortgages increased by around 84,000 in 2011, according to latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The CML said that this had modestly helped increase the supply of private rented housing in the UK. Read more...

Landlords expected to be less active in 2012 - 5 February 2012

Increased buying and selling activity was recorded in the Private Rented Sector in 2011 but may not continue in 2012, according to the latest landlord survey. Research from the Association of Residential Letting Agents shows the number of landlords that sold a property in the last 12 months increased from 6% to 8% in Q4 2011. The number of landlords saying they had bought properties also rose, from 23% to 25% over the same period. Read more...

20% landlords bought more property in 2011 - 1 February 2012

The latest Young Index report of Private Rented Sector (PRS) sentiment shows that 19.1% of landlords added additional residential property assets to their portfolios during 2011. The activity was driven by strong positive expectations for both capital growth and income returns for the year ahead. Read more...

Rental demand may have peaked - 24 January 2012

Two new reports have hinted that demand in the rented sector may have peaked. According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), tenant demand in Q4 2011 was still strong but was sharply down on the previous quarter, with 55% of members reporting more tenants than available properties compared with 74% in Q3. Read more...

Landlords to capitalise on favorable market - 12 January 2012

Landlords and letting agents can look forward to another bumper year, according to nationwide tenant referencing firm Landlord Assist. The continuation of low interest rates and the gradual easing of lending restrictions by financial institutions have seen many buy-to-let investors return to the marketplace to expand their portfolios. Read more...

Buy to Let Landlords positive about 2012 - 11 January 2012

Landlords are expecting another bumper for year of buy to let, according to research by a property investment lender. Just over half (56%) of landlords predict demand from tenants will continue to stay high.Few expect the private rental market to shrink – only 6% of landlords feel tenant demand will drop and hardly any (2%) expect rents to decrease, say the findings from Paragon Mortgages. Read more...