Marketing No Comments

Student rents indicating increasingly competitive market

Data from Accommodation for Students (AFS) analysing the cost of student accommodation* in 2019 has found that the average rents across many cities are close to the 20-year average of £79 per week. This is good news for students indicating that there is value to be had, but may mean that landlords have to work harder to secure student tenants.

Currently (2019) the average price for student accommodation is £86 per week but if London is removed, where its buoyant market commands an average room rent of £187, the UK average would be £79. The relatively small difference in price between the 20-year average and that of 2019 reflects the fact that in the majority of UK cities, the competitive nature of the student housing market, with the growth of the PBSA sector particularly outside the capital, has curbed rental increases.

Overall, this has been a functioning housing market, with value to be had in the majority of cities. Cities like Wolverhampton, Bolton, Hull and Dundee have 20-year average rent costs of £62, £63, £65 and £66 respectively. At the opposite end of the scale are more expensive locations like Brighton (£106), Guildford (£111) London (£115) and Kingston (£117).

While this might be anticipated, with such locations generally high cost anyway, cities with strong Universities, and hence attractive to students, like Birmingham (£70), Newcastle (£74) and Sheffield (£75) have all offered great value over the last 20 years.

Simon Thompson, Director of Accommodation for Students, comments: “AFS has been the home of student accommodation for 20 years, featuring 198,000 student houses across all major UK university towns and cities. Analysing rents over this period, demonstrates a vibrant market, where at one end of the spectrum there are properties on the market for £900 per week (Chapter Spitalfields) but students can also secure some very reasonably priced accommodation elsewhere.

“As the market has become increasingly competitive for landlords, we have invested heavily in making improvements to the AFS site. As well as offering automated feeds, enabling letting agents to instantly upload multiple properties in any format in real time, we are currently finalising a new landlord account area making it easier for landlords to connect with the 3 million students that visit the AFS portal every year.”

Following major upgrade of the AFS portal, the company has seen the number of enquiries through the site increase by 51% year on year.

Source: Property118

Marketing No Comments

UK lenders can withstand no-deal Brexit and global trade war, Bank says

The Bank of England has said UK lenders could withstand the worst case no-deal Brexit and a full-scale global trade war but warned “material risks of economic disruption” remain from a cliff-edge EU withdrawal.

In the latest report from the Financial Policy Committee (FPC), the Bank said it had assessed lenders against a doomsday no-deal Brexit scenario together with a global slowdown sparked by the US-China trade war and found they would still be able to continue lending to UK households and businesses.

But Governor Mark Carney cautioned that Britain would still suffer a “major economic shock” if it crashed out of the EU, adding that the threat of a no-deal had increased in recent months.

He said while the Government had made progress in preparing for a no-deal, it still had work to do, while there was also significant action needed on the part of EU authorities.

But Mr Carney stressed the UK financial system was “ready for Brexit whatever form it takes”.

He added: “Brexit developments are taking place against a backdrop of increasing risk to the global economic outlook.”

He said: “Even if a protectionist-driven global slowdown were to spill over to the UK at the same time as a worst-case disorderly Brexit, the FPC judges the core UK banking system would be strong enough to absorb, rather than amplify, the resulting economic shocks.”

The FPC cautioned that EU authorities still needed to take further action to help protect against some risks that remain, particularly ensuring banking services between UK and EU banks can remain in place after EU withdrawal.

It said half of all clients of major UK banks had not completed the necessary paperwork for EU derivative trades.

The lack of action by the EU is likely to largely affect European households and businesses, but could be expected to spill back to the UK.

The Brexit threat comes at a time of mounting trade tensions between the US and China, which the FPC said have “resulted in declining business confidence and pose material downside risks to global growth output”.

UK banks are around 60% exposed to the international economy.

In its assessment of UK bank strength, the Bank said it assumed the worst case no-deal Brexit outcome, as well as a trade war outcome that saw the US and China ramp up their tariffs by 25%, as well as a sharp contraction in global growth.

The FPC said it was satisfied that its most recent stress test at the end of 2018 was tougher even than this outcome and that banks would withstand the double-whammy hit.

The report also revealed the Bank is launching a review of funds like Neil Woodford’s suspended equity income fund, which has left hundreds of thousands of investors locked out of their cash.

The Bank will look at potentially imposing restrictions that could ban funds invested in illiquid assets from offering short-term notice periods.

At a press conference after the FPC report, Mr Carney declined to confirm whether he plans to apply for the post of head of the International Monetary Fund to succeed Christine Lagarde.

Mr Carney said: “There will come a time when that (recruitment) process launches and it’s probably the right time to answer that question.”

The Bank also confirmed in its FPC report that it plans to test UK lenders for the first time against climate change risks in its annual health check of the sector from 2021.

Source: Irvine Times

Marketing No Comments

Investing in property? Make sure you’re doing it properly

For many investors, the finite nature of land translates into making property a safe, steady investment that diversifies a portfolio.

As ever in life though, if only it were so simple as just buying the asset – whether that is a building, an aircraft or a bond.

It’s not just what you buy that matters, it also matters how you buy it. This is especially true of property.

While a long-term, stable play, real estate is an illiquid asset. That means that you have to invest into it in a way that doesn’t lead you exposed to this fundamental fact.

The debacle around Neil Woodford’s Equity Income fund has highlighted how open-ended funds are not best suited to hold such illiquid assets. Open-ended funds by their very nature imply a promise of liquidity through redemption mechanisms funded by cash reserves or asset sales.

Despite the fine print warning of the possibility of “gating” and delays on redemptions, this is not what investors want or expect. If a fund suspends, as has happened with Woodford’s, it’s bad news for end-investors who find their money locked in when they did not expect it.

Ultimately, that doesn’t help anyone. Now the Bank of England is considering banning investors pulling their money out of open-ended funds at short notice if the underlying asset is hard to sell (of course, this includes real estate).

But while I would argue an illiquid asset like property is fundamentally mismatched to open-ended funds in their current guise, this shouldn’t take away from the fact that – when invested in the correct manner – property is a great investment.

Closed-end funds and co-investing are two investment structures much better suited to real estate, because they are not as fundamentally exposed to its illiquid nature.

As global macro uncertainty inches up, real estate is a solid play which investors will want it as part of their portfolio.

One of the prime real estate investment opportunities can be found in the UK’s build-to-rent (BTR) sector, which is far past the stage where it should be labelled as a niche or alternative asset class. It is accelerating into the mainstream, with investment predicted to reach £75bn by 2025.

That surge of investment is being driven by crystal clear market fundamentals.

The UK’s housing supply-demand imbalance has lasted for years, and will likely persist for decades given the past shortfalls in providing new housing.

However, the success of build-to-rent isn’t just down to a lack of homes, it’s about quality as well.

Renting through non-professional landlords remains a mixed experience for many, with the hassles of bills or having basic maintenance arranged often leaving many frustrated.

The sector is not just a London phenomenon – it is a solution that is being applied nationwide.

For regional cities, towns, businesses, and workers alike, this is good news. Build-to-rent can accelerate the supply of homes in regions, encouraging workers to move around more and help businesses outside of the capital attract top class talent.

Our partnership with Moda Living is primed to capitalise on this, with 6,500 apartments in key cities across England and Scotland.

Of course, any discussions about investing into the UK at the moment will have to consider the long-running Brexit saga. The uncertainty caused may make it harder for other assets and services to secure investment.

But this uncertainty appears to have increased institutional interest in build-to-rent, given its stable, income driven investment characteristics, and the clear long-term demand for more homes.

Property is a fantastic investment. Twain was right – they aren’t making any more land. What he should have added though was that you need to invest in it in the right way.

By Mervyn Howard

Source: City AM

Unsecured Business Loan Finance Hurdles alternative finance UK economy
Marketing No Comments

10 Common Finance Hurdles UK SMEs Face (And How To Overcome Them)

If you run an SME, you probably are familiar with these all too well. But it’s easier to overcome these finance hurdles than you think!

First of all, let us begin by admitting and acknowledging the harsh reality. The UK economy has been through a constant grind of speculation, debate and uncertainty over the past few years, all thanks to Brexit. Without commenting on the issue, we would just like to mention that not all SMEs are happy about the way things have been unfolding. Nearly 40% of UK SMEs think that Brexit – if and when it actually happens – will leave them worse off in terms of financing and sales. That’s a very serious trend.

However, that’s only a part of the finance riddle. There are quite a few non-seasonal hurdles that SMEs have to face while applying for and getting commercial finance. Here are our picks (and some advice from our experts on how you can easily overcome them).

1. The Personal Credit Vs Commercial Finance Conundrum

This is by far the most common confusion we’ve seen SMEs struggle with. Much of this has to do with the fact that most SMEs are built ground-up without any solid plan for expansion. This, however understandable, is not the right approach. When you start a business, it’s advisable to treat it like a business. Sure, you can use your personal credit cards or even mortgage your home – but you need to know where to draw the line.

Personal loans tend to reduce your creditworthiness, making things difficult for when you want to get a business loan. The best way to overcome this conundrum is to separate personal and business finances as strictly as you can. Your personal creditworthiness should be a credit to your business – not a burden.

2. Bad Credit

This is the most obvious hurdle. If you have bad credit, you’re going to struggle to get a good deal (or any deal, for that matter). It’s important to know what impacts your credit in addition to the usual do’s and don’ts.

We’d like to note here that having bad credit doesn’t spell the end of the road by any stretch of imagination. We, at Commercial Finance Network, regularly broker bad credit loans for many otherwise successful SMEs. You can read more about our adverse credit mortgage services here.

3. No Credit History

Not many SMEs take business credit seriously, thanks mainly to the fact that most operate as sole traders. Quite naturally, it’s not very common for SMEs in the UK to have business credit history.

The easiest way to establish business credit history (you’ll need it when you want to apply for high-end commercial finance products) is to register your business and start trading regularly. Most companies, just by trading actively, are able to establish various credit tracks that help towards their credit history. To speed up the process, you can also use easy-to-access finance products like credit lines, business credit cards, overdrafts and so forth. Short-term finance products like bridging loans and invoice finance can also be very helpful in building a good credit score.

4. Multiple Applications

As is the case with personal credit, your chances of getting approved for a commercial finance product may get severely hampered by multiple applications. If you overestimate your creditworthiness and have half a dozen applications turned down, it’s almost always going to leave a dent in your business credit history.

This, however, is easily avoidable. If you want to directly work with lenders, make sure you are familiar with the lender’s expertise, expectations and track record. If not, you can send your applications through a reputed whole of market broker like Commercial Finance Network to improve your chances of getting an affordable and customised finance deal.

5. Going After Incompatible/Unsuitable Products

Another easy to avoid problem.

If you’re in need of commercial finance, make sure you know what exactly it is that you need. Specialty finance products are always more affordable than blanket packages. For example, many SMEs apply for a generic business loan to cover all sorts of expenses, instead of going for specialty, focussed loans. This not only makes things more expensive; it also increases the chance of having their application rejected.

An easy fix is to know what commercial finance products are available out there, and how you can best customise them to your needs.

6. Not Making The Right Points

This shouldn’t be a point of discussion, but we’ve seen too many SMEs fail to paint themselves in good light.

If you want to work with specialty lenders (like the ones we have on our panel), you will need to make sure that you know your business inside out. And by business we don’t just mean your day to day operations. You need to be able to demonstrate how you are planning to fuel the growth and overcome the competition. A detailed business plan that touches on all these point (and more) will always be helpful in getting lenders on board.

7. Weak Cashflow

This doesn’t and shouldn’t apply to every SME out there. However, you need to ensure that the cashflow numbers are always as healthy as possible.

Lenders, by and large, look for affirmative signs that tell them that you’ll settle the dues. And there’s no better sign of surety than strong cashflow numbers month after month.

8. Short On Security

Many commercial finance products require you to attach a security. It could range from personal guarantees and shares to properties and even vehicles.

Some specialty products (a good example is that of invoice financing) may not work at all without an inherent security. So, before you apply, know how these products work and what sort of security might be needed to get your application through.

9. No Trading History

Many SMEs try to apply for commercial finance right after they start trading. This is a rather hasty approach, because at that point, no SME can show any sign of credibility – no credit history, no volume of transactions and no track record.

To avoid this, we advise our customers to establish a long-enough trading history (typically six months or longer).

10. Tie All The Loose Ends

If your business has availed any loans in the past – however small the amounts – make sure you pay them off at your earliest, before you apply for commercial finance. If you aren’t in a position to make these payments right away, make sure these loans are represented correctly on your credit file, so that lenders can understand why you needed them and how you’re going to pay those back.

Commercial finance can appear daunting – but trust us, it’s anything but. With specialist lenders who know what your business needs, we’ve got you covered. To request more information or to request a call back, please call us on 03303 112 646. You can also get in touch with us here.

Commercial Finance
Marketing No Comments

5 Commercial Finance Myths You Need To Be Wary Of

Is your take on commercial finance based on a myth? Read on to find out!

The UK financial market is among the largest in the world. It’s been growing every year, giving millions of people an opportunity to build enough wealth to fund their dreams. With big money, however, come big myths.

At Commercial Finance Network, we regularly come across borrowers who are genuinely worried and apprehensive, all thanks to these distorted truth and outright lies. So, we’ve decided to run a series of blogs that will, we hope, help dispel these myths.

This is the first entry in that series. You may want to visit and bookmark our blog for when you want to return. You can also sign up for our incredibly useful newsletter that will keep you posted about the latest news, updates and articles from the world of commercial finance.

Myth #1. Private/Alternative Lenders Are Always “Predatory”.

This is probably the most common myth of them all. Most entrepreneurs and young businesses have little to no experience of making commercial finance work in their favour, and, as a result, they end up relying heavily – almost too heavily for their own good – on whatever finance options they come across first. These, as you can guess, usually happen to be big banks and high-street lenders.

So, if and when banks fail to give them the deal they want, they either shelve their projects, or turn to alternative lenders as the last resort, but not without a great deal of apprehension.

This is something that will take years to change but change it must!

If you can keep your options open, you can always find alternative lenders who are willing to offer you quotes that are far cheaper, more flexible and faster than the ones you’d receive otherwise. While it’s true that there are many lenders out there who run predatory practices, it’s important to know that when you work with reputed brokers like Commercial Finance Network, you shield yourself from such threats.

Myth #2. I’ll Just Exhaust My Personal Credit Cards First. That’ll Be Cheaper.

 When you’re looking to finance business expenses – they can range from buying a property to funding refurbishments or exiting an active project – it’s very tempting to use the most accessible options first up.

Consequently, many business owners, even before they approach us, have already used up all their personal credit. This includes exhausting credit cards (often, including their partner’s) and stretching personal savings thin. This approach may even work in certain cases, especially when you are confident of establishing a firm source of revenue/investment soon.

But when you aren’t, it may just be better (and often cheaper) to turn to commercial finance for business needs.

Personal loans, more often than not, are small, short-termed and unsecured loans. They can take care of unexpected, emergency expenses, but that’s about it. They have, time and again, proven to be incompatible with business needs, despite an apparent rise in their popularity.

So, in summary, don’t stay under the impression that a personal loan can be a good alternative to commercial finance.

Myth #3. Commercial Finance Is Not For Those Who Have Bad Credit.  

A misconception, more than a myth. This false notion cuts across all commercial finance products, holding back many businesses that shouldn’t even be worrying about bad credit to start with.

It’s true that lenders do and will check your credit file. It’s also true that much will depend on your credit history. What’s not true, however, is that not everything depends on your credit file.

Many lenders specialise in working with individuals and businesses with bad credit. Such products may be a touch more expensive and may require additional security, but they can certainly help in the hour of need.

At Commercial Finance Network, we have a panel of specialist lenders who offer adverse credit mortgages to applicants across the UK.

Myth #4: We Can’t Afford To Wait This Long.

Everybody wants things to move fast, and that’s a perfectly reasonable expectation.

It’s undeniable that commercial finance used to move at a snail’s pace a few years ago. Thankfully, things have changed for the better (we, at Commercial Finance Network, have been at the forefront of this change).

When you work with an experienced broker, you can make things move really fast. For example, every commercial finance product that we broker is designed to take shape at an industry-leading speed. In essence, now is the right time to do away with the misconception that commercial finance is slow and sluggish.

Myth #5: It All Seems So Complicated!

It probably does, and we don’t blame you for it, at all.

Brokers and lenders have a track record of complicating commercial finance products to such an extent that they appear puzzling – especially to first-time borrowers. There are far too many numbers to process, making the whole process a winding dread.

But we’ve got good news. There are experts out there willing to understand your requirements and make these products work for you. Thankfully, we’ve got the best among these experts on our board – and they’re here to help you. When you apply for commercial finance using our portal, we make sure that you are always in charge, and every little detail is explained to you. There’s no room for confusion and there’s no scope for ambiguity. You get what you see.

In Conclusion: Explore Your Commercial Finance Options Bravely, They’re Always Worth It.

Commercial finance is indispensable. Once your business grows past a certain stage, using your personal savings just doesn’t cut it. You’ll need more robust, customised and cheaper financing options that will also be scalable.

Don’t be bogged down by the intricacies of commercial finance. Explore your options freely and make the most of your creditworthiness to fuel the growth of your business. To know more about how our commercial finance services can help you, please contact us here. You can also call us on 03303 112 646 to request a prompt call back.

bridge to bridge
Marketing No Comments

Bridging Loans – Why You Need Them, When You Need Them & How To Apply For One

When utilised properly, bridging loans are among the most effective commercial finance products. We try to answer a few burning questions about such loans in this post.

If you operate in the property market, you already know that time is of utmost importance. A good deal can become unreasonably expensive if you can’t close it in time. Worse yet, someone else is almost always ready to swoop in and steal the deal from you.

In short, if you can’t move at a rapid pace, you’ll only make things difficult for you.

But then again, it’s never easy to get property deals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds through without having some time to think, consult with people and arrange for funds. The last part – that of raising money – eventually turns out to be the bottleneck.

Breaking that bottleneck so that investors, developers, landlords and regular buyers can ‘realise’ their dream deals is the prime focus of all bridging finance products.

Before We Start – A Quick Look At What Bridging Finance Really Means

There are quite a few myths that regularly float around bridging loans, especially amongst first-time borrowers. For now, we will just try to clear the air by defining what bridging loans are.

What Are Bridging Loans?

Bridging loans are short-term loans taken (usually) by commercial entities to help ‘bridge’ the gap between required funding and available (or soon to be available) funding.

It’s common for people in the property market to use the terms ‘bridging loans’ and ‘short-term loans’ interchangeably – but that’s not always correct. An easier way to differentiate between the two is this: all bridging loans are short-term loans, but not all short-term loans are bridging loans.

Example

Let’s say you are a property developer. You already have an active project that’s nearing completion. You expect it to complete within next 10 months. For now, you’ve come across a good buy to let opportunity that you don’t want to miss out on. The only problem is, the seller wants you to make an initial deposit of £200,000. You already have active development finance on your project, so you know it’ll be tough to get a buy to let loan.

In this case, a bridging loan can be the most ideal way out. You can, for instance, take a six-month bridging loan with a fixed interest rate. This loan will cover the initial deposit for your new project – and can be paid back once the active project gets completed (i.e. your exit strategy will hinge on the competition of your active project).

Here’s how the numbers would typically work out for such a case:

  • The market value of the property to be used as security: £400,000
  • Maximum LTV offered by the lender: 80%
  • Maximum amount that can be borrowed: £320,000
  • Actual amount borrowed: £250,000
  • Initial deposit to be made: £50,000
  • Balance bridging loan amount: £200,000
  • Applicable interest rate:5% per month
  • Loan term: 12 months
  • Payable interest: £1,250 per month

Why Are Bridging Loans Used? Who Are They Aimed At?

There’s really no limit to the number of reasons people and businesses use bridging loans for.

Even though, at Commercial Finance Network, our bridging finance services focus on the property market, it’s important to note that bridging loans are used across all industries and sectors. They may take different names and forms, but the idea remains the same.

Bridging loans are aimed at people who are looking to enter the property market via any of the regular channels (buy to let, convert, develop or invest). Essentially, if you are a property developer, landlord or investor, you can and should use bridging loans as a viable financing option.

Here’s Why Bridging Loans Are Popular

  • Easy To Get: Bridging loans are easier to get if you have your business and personal credit history in good health. Even when you don’t, lenders on our panel might be interested in your application. You can get a loan for an amount as high as £200,000.
  • Fast: There’s no need to waste time. When you work with an industry-leading whole of market broker like Commercial Finance Network, you get a decision on your bridging loan application within 24 hours. More importantly, we make sure that the lender releases the funds to you swiftly.
  • Flexible: Bridging finance is incredibly flexible. It’s just a short-term loan, but can well be extended up to 12 months, should you feel the need to. Moreover, most lenders are willing to offer interest-only repayments (subject to the viability of your exit strategy).
  • Cheap: Bridging loans we broker come with lower-than-market interest rates. Some of our lenders offer interest rates as low as 4% per month. It should, however, be noted that bridging finance is more expensive than long-term mortgages.

When Should You Consider Applying For A Bridging Loan?

Bridging loans are a specialty commercial finance product. Therefore, to make the most of what they have to offer, you need to know and understand when they are a good option.

Here are some common scenarios that are tailor-made for bridging loans:

Buy To Let Projects

Buy to let projects are well served by bridging loans – especially when your existent credit line/loan is fully invested in another active project.

Residential/Commercial/Mixed Use Development

Development projects, more often than not, end up stretching your budget too thin. There are a million fronts to fight on, and it’s not at all uncommon for developers to run out of money. Such situations – before the project starts or is already in progress – can be taken care of using a customised bridging loan.

Conversions/Refurbishment Projects

If you want to undertake conversion/refurbishment projects, you can take out a bridging loan to cover the costs.

Important: Know What Your Exit Strategy Is!

Bridging loans are incredibly useful when your back is against the wall. That, however, doesn’t mean that they can replace conventional, long-term financing options.

A bridging loan is best viewed as a temporary arrangement – one that saves the day.

Therefore, before you get into a bridging loan contract, it’s important for you to know how you’re going to exit. Common exit strategies include:

  1. Selling the property (being used as security)
  2. Getting a more robust, long-term development finance package or buy to let loan
  3. Placing a mortgage on your new property

Bridging Loans Timeline

A traditional mortgage would take weeks to ‘realise’. Bridging loans, thankfully, are faster.

When you work with us, we make sure that you get a decision from lenders within 24 hours. Once you decide to go ahead with a particular quote, the lender will proceed with the valuation of your property and assessment of your credit file. Everything said and done, a commercial bridging loan can go through within a matter of days.

Finally, How To Apply For A Bridging Loan?

If you don’t want to involve a broker in the process, you can approach lenders directly. This, however, is an approach fraught with risks. When you aren’t familiar with the lender’s approval criteria, you always have a very high chance of getting multiple applications turned down. This puts a dent in your credit score, making it even more difficult for you to get approved.

Such hassle can be avoided with ease, and for a very reasonable cost by working with a leading whole of market broker like Commercial Finance Network. We have on board a panel of UK-wide specialist lenders who are known to offer low interest rates and high flexibility of repayment.

Applying for a bridging loan is easy – just complete this form or call us on 03303 112 646 to get started.

BTL products Fixed rates Professional landlords
Marketing No Comments

Unprecedented fall in buy-to-let fixed rates

Fixed rates in the buy-to-let mortgage space have fallen across the board, according to online mortgage broker, Property Master.

Angus Stewart, Property Master’s chief executive, described this as “unprecedented”, and follows on from recent remarks by the Governor of the Bank of England that the UK leaving the European Union without reaching some sort of trade agreement may well require some sort of economic stimulus such as a cut in rates to weather the shock of no deal.

He commented: “We have been tracking buy-to-let mortgage interest rates in this way for 18 months and we have never seen before a fall across the board in this way. It is quite unprecedented.

“Last month we were seeing a drift upwards in the cost of buy-to-let fixed rate mortgages but it may be that the market is now expecting rates generally to fall rather than rise.”

“It is likely that lower rates are also being fuelled by the continuing increase in the number of buy-to-let mortgage products. Whilst it is true some lenders have exited the market others are boosting their range and competing hard for new business.

“As landlords continue to be pressed on all sides by rising regulatory costs such as the new Tenant Fees Act and falling tax reliefs today’s news of a lowering of mortgage costs will be very much welcomed.”

Property Master’s July 2019 Mortgage Tracker shows the biggest fall in monthly cost was for five-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage offers for 75% of the value of a property. The monthly cost fell by £36 per month June to July.

Five-year fixed rates for 65% loan-to-value fell month on month by £6. Five-year fixed rates buy-to-let mortgage offers for 50% of the value of a property fell by just £3 per month.

Two-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgages for 50% and 65% of the value of a property fell by £5 each. Two-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgages for 75% of the value of a property fell by £8 per month.

The Property Master Mortgage Tracker follows a range of buy-to-let mortgages for an interest-only loan of £150,000. Deals from 18 of some of the biggest lenders in the buy-to-let market including Barclays, BM Solutions, RBS, The Mortgage Works, Godiva and Precise were tracked. Figures for this month’s Mortgage Tracker were calculated on deals available on July 1, 2019.

Property Master was launched almost two years ago and aims to shake up the buy-to-let mortgage market currently served by around 12,000 mortgage brokers. It has already attracted financial backing from a broad range of private investors including a minority stake being taken by LSL Property Services, whose estate and letting agency brands include Your Move and Reeds Rains.

Property Master has automated what was a manual, complex process to provide landlords with a free easy to use mortgage search tool which provides a mortgage quote that is pre-screened against each lender’s specific and changing criteria.

By Joanne Atkin

Source: Mortgage Finance Gazette

Marketing No Comments

Bank of England could cut interest rates to near zero in no-deal Brexit

Interest rates could be cut to almost zero if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, a top official at the Bank of England said today.

Gertjan Vlieghe, a member of the Bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC), told an audience in London today that Threadneedle Street might have to slash rates to nearly zero in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The comments mark one of the strongest indications yet given from an MPC member of the potential direction the BoE could take if Britain and the EU failed to reach an agreement by the deadline of 31 October.

Boris Johnson, the bookies’ favourite to succeed Theresa May as the next Prime Minister, has pledged to take Britain out of the EU with or without a deal by the end of October, raising expectations of a potential no-deal exit.

In a speech given at Thomson Reuters, Vlieghe said: “On balance I think it is more likely that I would move to cut Bank Rate towards the effective lower bound of close to zero per cent in the event of a no-deal scenario.”

Sterling remained roughly flat at 1.252 against the dollar.

Vlieghe, who was once a bond strategist at Deutsche Bank, said it was “highly uncertain when I would want to reverse these interest rate cuts”, as it would depend on the rate of recovery from a potential no-deal shock to the markets.

In June the rate-setting committee at the Bank voted unanimously to hold interest rates.

It had raised rates to 0.75 per cent last August from a low of 0.25 per cent.

Yesterday governor Mark Carney refused to be drawn on whether he has his eyes set on the top job at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after he leaves the Bank in January.

Carney said there were “a few orderly transitions” he had to look after at Threadneedle Street before he focused on anything else.

By Sebastian McCarthy

Source: City AM

Marketing No Comments

UK house prices are stuck in the doldrums

UK house prices are set to tread water while incomes rise, making property more affordable, says Merryn Somerset Webb.

The numbers aren’t looking good for residential property investors. House price growth in the US fell to a mere 1% at the beginning of this year, according to the latest report from the Dallas Federal Reserve. Look at global data across the 18 largest economies in the world and things don’t look much more encouraging. This could be the year in which we see “global growth dip to its lowest pace in a decade”. Investment is slowing fast, says Oxford Economics.

The UK is no outlier here. The Nationwide index and the Rightmove Asking Prices index show prices and asking prices respectively to be all but flat. The Halifax House Price index shows a better annual number but suggests prices fell mildly in June. You can see the same trend in Hometrack data, which suggests that the falling prices we have seen in London are beginning to spread: over a third of homes are now in areas with annual price falls (the higher value the market the more likely this is), although the absolute levels of falls is small. So what next? Most analysts expect the market to tread water from here (at best) – although if a new PM were to pull a Brexit deal from the hat we could of course see a little London bounce.

A flat market…
This is probably correct. There is still some support for prices. Housing starts are falling slightly (so the supply of housing is not rising much). Interest rates are low and will go lower if Brexit goes horribly wrong. The banks’ wholesale funding costs have also edged down, and that should soon feed into mortgage rates. At the same time wages have jumped (year-on-year growth excluding bonuses hit an 11-year high in April) and household disposable incomes are also on the up.

That makes houses – even at today’s silly prices – seem more affordable. Prices, says Nationwide, are likely to be at least supported by “healthy labour market conditions and low borrowing costs.” That said, there isn’t much to push prices up either. They are still high relative to incomes. The tax and regulatory hit to buy-to-let is discouraging buyers in that market. An unwelcome (to big property owners, at least) overhaul of property taxation may be on the way. And the Help to Buy scheme (which has played a clear part in pushing prices up) is likely to be at least scaled back soon. Put all those factors into the mix and it is hard to see a rebound in prices in 2019 “or beyond” says Capital Economics.

… is good news
The key thing to bear in mind there is that this is not bad news – unless you very recently paid too much for a house. One thing we have all agreed on in the UK for decades now is that houses are too expensive relative to average earnings. That makes it tough to get on the ladder and tough to move up the ladder. Add today’s high levels of stamp duty to your cost of buying and it’s nasty out there.

But the fact that house prices are not really rising in nominal terms, combined with the small real rise in wages over the last two years, is beginning to change this situation. In 2007 Nationwide’s house price to earnings ratio for the UK was 5.42. At the end of 2016 it was 5.25. Today it is 5.03 times. That’s not ideal – but if this gentle drift down continues and we end up at more like four times, it will suddenly be an awful lot easier to buy (and sell) houses. That would be a very good thing.

Head for Hampshire
Nevertheless, for those of you determined to find the next hot location in the property market and make your fortunes the easy way, Anne Ashworth writing in The Times has an idea for you. She suggests checking out age profiles. Why? Because the younger the crowd, the higher the potential for growth. In areas with an older demographic, you can expect to see sales and downsizing (the cash from which then gets spread around children and grandchildren who won’t necessarily live in the area). In one with a younger demographic you can expect to see the opposite.

Look back over the last decade, says Lucian Cook of Savills and you will see this in action. Those areas with large concentrations of people in their 40s have seen much greater price appreciation (up 56%) than elsewhere. With that in mind, look at somewhere such as Aldershot in Hampshire. There 39% of households are headed by someone between 31 and 40. They won’t be downsizing any time soon.

By: Merryn Somerset Webb

Source: Money Week

Marketing No Comments

Rising Yields Boosting Professional Buy To Let Investors

Rising yields are boosting professional buy to let investors, especially those considering adding to their portfolios.

Rents have hit a new record high at an average of £896 per calendar month, with growth accelerating to 1.3 per cent a year, according to the ninth edition of Kent Reliance for Intermediaries’ Buy to let Britain report.

As a result, rising yields have now hit a two-year high. The average yield now stands at 4.5 per cent, its highest since the first quarter of 2017.

In London, rents have only risen by 0.5 per cent. However, with property prices falling, yields in the capital have reached 4.1 per cent, their highest level since the end of 2015.

However, despite rising yields, growth of the private rental sector is subdued on the back of government intervention and the economic impact of Brexit uncertainty.

The value of the £1.3 trillion private rental sector grew by £6 billion in the last year, as the expansion of supply dwindled, and property prices weakened in several parts of the country. The value of the average rental property has risen by 0.3 per cent in the last year, with Brexit uncertainty gripping the wider housing market

As the costs of property investment rise, landlords are seeking to recoup these in higher rents to preserve their profitability and protect rising yields. Around a quarter (24 per cent) of landlords, already expect to raise rents in the next six months, nearly five times the number that expect to reduce them.

Improved finances among tenants is also allowing more leeway. Wages are currently rising at 3.4 per cent, up from 2.9 per cent a year ago and well in excess of inflation.

Professional landlords are not just seeking to recoup higher tax costs in the form of higher rents. Many now operate via limited companies to mitigate the impact of the changes to mortgage tax relief. Analysis of Kent Reliance for Intermediaries’ mortgage data shows that in the first quarter of 2019, 72 per cent of buy to let mortgage applications were made through a limited company, significantly higher than in 2016 (45 per cent).

Andy Golding, Chief Executive of OneSavings Bank, commented: ‘Landlords have rolled with the punches as best they can, but there is no escaping that growth is subdued in the private rented sector following four years of government intervention. Brexit uncertainty has only compounded this issue, having the obvious knock-on-effect on landlords’ confidence.

‘The positive news is that for those landlords looking to expand their portfolios, underlying market conditions seem to be changing. Yields are climbing as rents rise faster than house prices, providing further opportunities for committed investors.’

Source: Residential Landlord