Brokers number of landlords Buy to let mortgage lending mortgage stamp duty holiday
Marketing No Comments

Brokers unsatisfied with how lenders handle adverse credit

Brokers are least satisfied with how lenders handle adverse credit and commercial buy-to-let cases, Smart Money People has found.

Following broker feedback in its Mortgage Lender Benchmark, broker satisfaction with mortgage lenders’ handling of adverse credit cases is 74.6%, rising to 77.1% for commercial buy-to-let cases.

The average satisfaction across all mortgage case types is 81.1%.

Nate Harwood, co-founder of Smart Money People, said: “Brokers appreciate that adverse credit and commercial buy-to-let cases are trickier and more specialist in nature.

“That said, they’re not prepared to cut lenders operating in these areas any slack.

“And with some 1.3 million people with adverse credit expected to be looking for a mortgage in the next year, how lenders handle adverse credit cases in particular, really does matter.”

When it comes to adverse credit cases, brokers are particularly dissatisfied with the speed to process applications through to offer.

The average adverse credit lender received a 59% rating around speed, 15% lower than the average across all cases (74%).

Broker satisfaction with the ease of determining the maximum loan amount is another key weak spot, and stands at 76% which is 7% lower than the average (83%).

Meanwhile, the ease of determining product eligibility proved to be the key point for brokers leaving feedback for commercial buy-to-let lenders.

The average commercial buy-to-let lender satisfaction rating is 77%, some 4% lower than the average seen across all cases (81%) and 2% lower than residential buy-to-let cases.

The research has also identified the highest rated lenders for adverse credit and commercial buy-to-let cases.

Brokers highlighted the best adverse credit lenders as Bluestone, Pepper Money, Precise Mortgages, The Mortgage Lender and Aldermore.

Furthermore, the top commercial buy-to-let lenders according to brokers are BM Solutions, Leeds Building Society, The Mortgage Works, Kent Reliance and Precise Mortgages.

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

North's house prices brokers
Marketing No Comments

Brokers call for innovation around short-term lets

More landlords are looking at short-term and holiday lets and lenders have to match this interest with more innovation, brokers have claimed.

Andrew Montlake, director at Coreco, said few lenders would place holiday let cases, but Airbnb is a bit more complex and lenders are more selective.

He added other than rates, it’s location and short-term lets that landlords are looking for.

Montlake said: “There has to be more innovation around Airbnb and how lenders deal with that because that’s something a lot of portfolio landlords are doing with at least part of their portfolio.”

Michael Lawlor, business principal of Mortgage Advice Bureau in Finchley, added: “We’re getting more of these enquires, they’re very difficult to place and we’d like to see more options for landlords.

“I’m getting more enquiries for Airbnb than I’ve ever had so it’d be great if some other lenders joined that market to give more option to our clients.”

Adam Kasamun, associate director at LDNfinance, said if there are restrictions saying it has to be a holiday let then many lenders will not do it.

He said: “I think for people (landlords) to diversify they have to be able to take risks as well.

“HMO can be quite risky and there is a lot of regulation around it and with holiday lets, not many people want to do it.

“Airbnb, we know about that. It’s about maybe landlords being ahead of the curve.

“The limited company thing is a lot more mainstream than it was four, five years ago.

“More people are aware of it but the people who did it four, five years ago are seeing the benefits of it now because they were ahead of it. Do it now and you can make more from it.”

Jeff Knight, director of marketing at Foundation Home Loans, said that Foundation underwriters short-term let buy-to-lets in the same way as normal buy-to-let cases.

He added: “The only difference is that we do not ask for an AST (Assured Short Term Tenancy Agreement).

“By underwriting these in the same way gives the landlord the flexibility to revert to normal letting should they require to do so, giving fair customer outcomes.

“Having undertaken some landlord focus groups recently, I can say that this market will grow, albeit it will still be very much a niche area, as it gives portfolio landlords in particular opportunities to diversify their portfolios.”

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Marketing No Comments

More brokers searching for lenders who accept first-time landlords

In June lenders who accept first-time landlords was the most popular search on criteria sourcing system Knowledge Bank.

This follows a raft of recent product and criteria changes by lenders and suggests that potential landlords have not been put off by a loss of tax incentives and the ban on tenant fees.

Nicola Firth (pictured) chief executive of Knowledge Bank said, said: “The buy-to-let sector has taken a few punches over recent years with the removal of tax incentives, the ability to charge fees and even lenders going into administration.

“However, this is a resilient market and with competitive interest rates, and a wide product selection, potential landlords are asking brokers to find them a home for their loan requirements.

“Buy-to-let is another example of a sector where criteria changes are made on a daily basis so it’s vital for brokers to whittle down the lenders who will consider their clients in advance of any product sourcing. There’s no point finding a great product only to discover that your client is refused on criteria.”

Recent reports also show that product availability for first-time buy-to-let mortgages is the highest it has been for five years, coupled with an average fall in interest rates over the same period.

In other product areas; the monthly criteria activity tracker showed that the maximum age borrowers could be at the end of the mortgage term was the most searched-for criteria in the residential mortgage category.

Other search highlights reveal that the maximum loan-to-value continues to be the most popular search for second charge loans and the minimum age of borrowers at application the most searched for criteria within equity release.

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Marketing No Comments

Brokers call for more buy-to-let offset mortgages

Some brokers have called for more lenders to offer buy-to-let mortgages, arguing there is a demand for it.

It’s a niche area, with Moneyfacts data showing nationwide out of 2,199 buy-to-let products across 75 providers there’s only 16 buy-to-let offset mortgages offered by five lenders.

Dean Mason, a self-employed broker at Masons Financial Planning, said more products would be useful for landlords who could draw money out of a savings account to fund refurbishments and purchase properties at auctions in future.

He said: “Buy-to-let landlords want quick access to their money tied up in their properties and having an offset mortgage on their existing properties gives them that flexibility and a pot of money to draw on to invest.

“I get a lot of buy-to-let landlords who want flexibility to put money aside and either use it or draw it out and even put money aside for tax bills. It seems to me it’d be tailor made for the buy-to-let market to offer, but lenders say there’s no call for it.

“There’s a whole concept in offset mortgages which fits so seamlessly into what a buy-to-let landlord would want and the flexibility they need.”

Payam Azadi, director of Niche Advice, said it’s a good product from a professional landlord’s perspective because you can draw down from funds when needed rather than doing a remortgage or getting a bridging loan.

He added: “There’s demand for buy-to-let offset mortgages. We like the product changes made in the sector and the more innovative the products the better.”

David Hollingworth, associate director of communications at L&C Mortgages, said additional pressures on landlords, like the reduction of tax relief on mortgage interest, means they are more focused than in the past on keeping their costs down and their interest bill to a minimum,

He said: “I’ve always thought they were a good idea. We’ve seen people that have liked the idea of them in the past. Landlords could put spare income into the offset account but retain easy access to it, which I think they quite like.

“With mortgage tax relief changing, offset could be an attractive kind of product for landlords as they’ll be more focused on keeping their interest bill lower.

“I’m not saying there’s a huge market there and loads of landlords would flock to it, but I think some would like the flexibility that offset gives them.”

Dilpreet Bhagrath, mortgage spokeswoman at online mortgage broker, Trussle, agreed and said after the amount of tax relief that landlords can claim on their mortgage was significantly reduced, many will be considering other routes, such as offset mortgages, to reduce costs elsewhere.

She said: “Offset mortgages are alluring for some buy-to-let customers, with the reduced interest that comes with an associated savings pot.

“This approach might hold more appeal for investors who want to be more agile when managing their costs.

“However, there’s often a premium associated with offset products and rates can be higher than the standard rates. Landlords should speak to a broker to balance their personal circumstances with how much they’ll use the offset provisions, to ensure it benefits them.”

Family Building Society offers two buy-to-let offset mortgages, something which the society’s director of business development, Keith Barber said receives positive feedback every time he mentions them at broker roadshows.

He said: “It’s one of those financial planning tools that astute investors will use because it’s to their benefits and the sort of product advisers should be aware of when helping buy-to-let investors make the most of their assets.

“I’m all for competition and innovation from lenders. I think there should be more buy-to-let offset products, but it’ll never be a dominant product line in the market.”

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Marketing No Comments

More brokers looking at tenure for equity release cases

Tenure has become the most searched criteria category within Knowledge Bank’s equity release section for the first time in criteria sourcing system’s criteria index.

Interestingly the top searches within equity release have shifted in recent months from factors affecting the loan to considerations relating to the property itself.

Nicola Firth (pictured), chief executive of Knowledge Bank, said: “As we head into the second quarter of 2019, the landscape for brokers advising clients continues to be more and more complicated.

“Everyone in the housing market is reacting to external financial and competitive forces within a period of unprecedented change with Brexit, and mortgage and loan providers are no exception.

“There are daily changes to both products and their underlying criteria so the task facing brokers in delivering advice is harder than ever.

“However, the reality for brokers is that borrowers are unaware or unconcerned as long as they can be paired with the right product from the right lender. This is why technology is crucial in helping brokers find the right product the first time.”

Brokers have also been interrogating the data for lenders who will consider timber and non-standard construction in addition to properties with an annex or outbuildings.

Within the buy-to-let sector, searches for lenders who will allow first-time landlords once again takes the top spot and, with continuing uncertainty surrounding alternative investment choices, bricks and mortar seems to be offering an attractive option.

Additionally, within buy-to-let searches for lenders that allow houses of multiple occupation (HMO) has broken into the top five for the first time.

This search has been featured in the top 10 multiple times but has not been one of the top five searches since Knowledge Bank started the index in July 2018. Anecdotal evidence suggests that changes to rules surrounding HMOs is leading brokers to delve deeper into this area.

Residential loan searches in March continue to relate to the needs of older borrowers with three out of the top five categories relating to a borrowers age.

The most popular searches performed by mortgage brokers in March included those for lenders who offered the most generous criteria regarding the maximum age at the end of the mortgage term.

For bridging loans the most popular searches were regulated bridging and adverse credit, for second charges it was maximum LTV and capital raising for debt consolidation and for commercial finance deals the most popular searches were maximum LTV and semi-commercial properties.

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Second charge Brexit
Marketing No Comments

More brokers searching for adverse second charge lenders

Second charge criteria searches on Knowledge Bank for people with debt issues accounted for four out of every five for the first time last month.

Knowledge Bank has the largest database of mortgage lending criteria held anywhere in the UK. Its criteria activity tracker found brokers searched for lenders who would allow debt or income issues, unsatisfied county court judgements, ongoing debt management plans, adverse credit repair or borrowers on benefits with no earned income.

Nicola Firth, chief executive of Knowledge Bank said: “Once again the criteria index allows us to get ahead of the market and understand the cases that brokers are actually trying to place rather than just those that make it through the lending net.`

“An increase in the number and complexity of products can be seen in each and every lending sector and so the challenge for brokers to find the right home for their clients’ loan becomes more and more onerous. With new lenders entering the market and existing lenders expanding their product options.

“We also constantly hear from brokers that criteria searching, in addition to helping them save time in placing cases, vitally enables them to evidence and document their process should their advice be questioned at any time in the future.

“Borrowers and regulators alike simply aren’t concerned how difficult it is to keep abreast of all available product options, just that it is done.”

The top search for residential was maximum age at end of term, followed by self-employed, one-years accounts while the top search for equity release was property with an annex, outbuildings, land or acreage, followed by freehold flats.

The main focus for brokers researching the buy-to-let sector in February was on finding lenders who would lend to first time landlords.

This criteria search has placed in the top five for the past six months and so the desire for borrowers to secure their first buy to let could, and should rightly, be classified as a trend rather than a passing fad

The top search for self-build was conversion, regulated bridging for bridging, applications paid in a foreign currency for overseas and maximum LTV for commercial.

By Michael Lloyd

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Marketing No Comments

Maximum borrowing tops broker searches

Brokers most frequently searched for lenders using a maximum borrowing limit in December, a mortgage search platform has revealed.

Knowledge Bank released the monthly data from its criteria searching system today (January 10), which contained more than 80,000 criteria covering 150 lenders.

According to Knowledge Bank, broker activity remained high in the final month of last year with brokers most frequently searching for maximum borrowing criteria in the residential, second charge and self-build categories.

Searches for Help-to-Buy remained in the top five residential searches, a month after making its first appearance on the list last year following an extension of the government scheme in the Autumn Budget.

In the buy-to-let sector, searches for lenders happy to lend to limited companies featured most frequently in December – a pattern matched by lender reports of landlords increasingly transferring properties to limited companies to navigate tax changes in the market.

But searches for lenders willing to lend to first time landlords featured as the second most commonly searched criteria in the buy-to-let sector, closely followed by requirements for first-time buyers.

Nicola Firth, chief executive of Knowledge Bank, said: “The year ended largely as it had started with a huge number of searches across the different product areas.

“During 2018 new lenders entered the market but it was product innovation that really was the stand out change.

“With interest rates remaining low, lenders continue to compete on criteria in addition to rate which makes it increasingly difficult for a broker to know who will or won’t accept their client.”

She added: “On average brokers searched on five individual pieces of criteria for each borrower which shows how essential it is for a system to ensure that cases are not sent to lenders who will inevitably turn them down.”

Source: FT Adviser

Marketing No Comments

Buy-to-let specialists are thriving

Figures recently included in the Mortgage Market Tracker from the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association suggest brokers saw the largest drop in business volumes in the third quarter of 2018 that they’ve experienced in more than two years.

This hasn’t been our experience in 2018 at all, which is most likely down to us deliberately taking a strategic approach to our positioning. Even in a market where buyers, movers and developers are choosing to sit on their hands, we’ve concentrated on areas of the market where we know we can add significant value.

There are a number of trends that have affected the shape of lending in 2018, the most significant being the impact of changes in taxation and affordability testing in the buy-to-let market. The reduction in tax relief on buy-to-let mortgage interest and the tougher stress-testing rules from the Prudential Regulation Authority are beginning to have a visible effect on lending trends.

Limited company buy-to-let has been a big win for us this year, as has our commitment to offering flexible affordability criteria to landlords with other sources of income.

Adding value to investment properties at the outset has also been a focus for landlords increasingly this year. We’ve helped landlords by adapting our application processes for short-term bridge to let and launching our new Refurbishment buy-to-let proposition which features a double proc fee and single application.

We believe this demonstrates both our commitment as a lender to supporting our borrowers and introducers, and also illustrates the value that a specialist lender can offer in today’s market.

Buy-to-let remortgaging has been a significant part of the market this year, and that’s not accounting for product transfers in buy-to-let. The big high street lenders have necessarily had to focus on retention in 2018 as margin pressures have got tougher and transaction volumes have remained subdued.

That has opened up an opportunity for specialist lenders to plug the gaps created by these shifts. We’re big enough to make a meaningful difference to the supply of specialist buy-to-let finance and nimble enough to be able to flex our criteria and underwriting to adapt to the needs of borrowers in a changing market.

What’s in store for 2019? Well, that remains to be seen. But I suspect that it will be a year in which smaller specialists continue to thrive.

And, rest assured, that we will remain committed to supporting brokers and borrowers whose needs are not being met on a high street increasingly under pressure.

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Base Rate
Marketing No Comments

68% of brokers think Base Rate had no impact on their businesses

More than two thirds (68%) believe that the two Bank of England Base Rate increases seen since November 2017 had no impact on their business, United Trust Bank’s broker sentiment survey has found.

The Base Rate currently stands at 0.75% following an increase from 0.50% on 2 of August this year.  The rate was increased from 0.25% to 0.50% on the 2nd of November 2017.

Some 16% of brokers felt the two increases had had a positive impact on their businesses as opposed to 16% who felt they had had a negative impact.

Harley Kagan, group managing director – United Trust Bank, said: “It is encouraging to see that for a majority of brokers the two Base Rate increases have had little to no impact on their businesses over the last 12 months.

“I believe the same is broadly true from a lender perspective although expectations of higher mortgage rates to come may have been a contributing factor to a general cooling of activity in the residential property market.

“Developers and housebuilders need to be mindful of future demand and pressure on pricing when planning future projects and that, coupled with Brexit uncertainty, is causing some to take their foot off the gas with new starts.

“The Base Rate has been less than 1.0% for the best part of 10 years. Originally a measure to stave off the worst effects of the financial crisis, for many, and especially the latest generation of consumers and borrowers, ultra-low interest rates are now the norm.”

Kagan added: “As such it doesn’t take much of an increase to inject some nervousness into the market, especially for first-time buyers.

“However, a return to the interest rates seen before the credit crunch seems unlikely. Whilst a 5% Base Rate appeared reasonable in 2008, the PRA recently challenged the resilience of banks and other lenders using a 4% Base Rate for stress testing, an indication perhaps of what they believe would be an extraordinary interest rate for the current economic environment.

“Hopefully, once the nature of our future relationship with the EU is clearer and uncertainty in the economy is replaced with stability, buyers will be back in even greater numbers and housebuilders will be more encouraged to get on with tackling the UK’s inherent housing shortage.”

However, when asked what impact the increases have had on the UK’s residential property market over the last 12 months, 27% believed the effect had been negative.

Nearly half (46%) expected one more increase of 0.25% between now and the end of 2019, taking the Base Rate to 1.0%, while 12% expected the rate to fall.

Source: Mortgage Introducer

Landlords
Marketing No Comments

Landlords rely on brokers for better deals

Landlords rely on brokers to guide their financial choices because they feel intermediaries have access to better deals, according to research by a bridging lender.

In a survey of 2,000 adults who own three or more residential properties, 35 per cent agreed they rely on brokers to inform choices made when securing finance for a property purchase.

The research, conducted by bridging lender Market Financial Solutions, found 41 per cent of the landlords who relied on brokers felt they could access better rates than a borrower going direct with the lender.

Paresh Raja, chief executive of Market Financial Solutions, said: “Whether it is someone purchasing their first house or their 50th, this research shows how instrumental brokers are in guiding property buyers through the financial options available to them.”

Recent figures released by fintech firm Mortgage Brain found a significant difference between the cost of comparable buy-to-let mortgages and mainstream residential products.

As of November 1, the cost of a five-year fixed buy-to-let mortgage at 80 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) was 24 per cent more than the same product type for a residential mortgage.

A two-year fixed buy-to-let mortgage at 80 per cent LTV cost 20 per cent more than its residential equivalent.

The survey of landlords with a portfolio of three or more properties also found a preference to explore financing outside of traditional mortgage products, with 41 per cent expressing a want for a better understanding of the options available to them.

Mr Raja said: “Importantly, beyond the historically dominant mortgage providers, there are now many forms of alternative finance that buyers can call upon.

“And property investors are clearly keen to explore options outside of mortgages that might be better suited to their particular circumstance.”

Mr Raja said with more than a third of landlords relying on brokers, it is vital intermediaries have in-depth knowledge of all financing options and not just different rates for the same product.

Steve Olejnik, managing director at Mortgages for Business, said he thought the number of respondent landlords using brokers to guide financial decisions in the survey was surprisingly low.

He said: “In my experience nearly all buy-to-let mortgage business is done via intermediary channels.

“But there will be landlords who purchase in cash and therefore don’t require finance – I would think therefore that those not going to a broker are predominately cash buyers.”

Mr Olejnik said brokers are becoming increasingly important in filling the advice gap.

He said: “In a buy-to-let environment more complex than ever, landlords really do need broker advice to find the right product.”

Source: FT Adviser