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The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed landlords to broaden the types of property and locations they are looking to invest in, according to analysis from Leeds Building Society.

The mutual noted that industry data suggested that the volume of applications for buy-to-let mortgages held up better than for residential loans between March and the middle of July.

Matt Bartle, director of products at Leeds Building Society, said: “In terms of the volume of applications over this period, the buy-to-let market fell less steeply and recovered more quickly than residential.

“We’ve also seen increased purchase activity; suggesting landlords are taking advantage of a combination of factors, including stamp duty relief, low interest rates and tenant demand.”

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The society’s own research with landlords, as part of its ‘lockdown learnings’ series, supports this, with 79% of landlords who were considering purchasing a buy-to-let property before the pandemic saying their plans had changed. This doesn’t mean they are withdrawing though, with half saying they still want to buy but are taking a fresh look at their plans.

Of those surveyed, almost a third (29%) are reconsidering the type of property they want to invest in, while the same proportion are also looking at new locations. Around one in five (20%) of landlords are reassessing precisely how much they are willing to invest, with almost a quarter (22%) rethinking their timings.

However, half of the landlords surveyed saying they hadn’t been planning to buy before lockdown, and still have no plans to do so.

Bartle added: “Bearing in mind the changes that coronavirus has brought to all our lives it’s not surprising to see landlords reviewing future plans for their property portfolios as tenants’ needs and priorities are also affected by the pandemic.

“The recent Government announcement on stamp duty appears to be spurring prospective purchasers into action, including buy-to-let landlords.”

By John Fitzsimons

Source: Mortgage Finance Gazette

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