Houses or Flats? Part 2. Should I extend the Lease or Not?

In the first video of this mini series about whether houses or flats make a better investment, I said that I don’t operate on the basis that there is a clear cut rule saying houses are fine but never buy a flat for your buy to let. I think having such a binary approach is…

Details

Does Refinancing BTL Affect Credit Rating

I had a great question in from one of my subscribers which I thought I’d share because I get asked this, and some similar related questions, quite often. In fact, we’ll also look at some of these other questions in this video as well. Here’s the question: Hi Peter I’ve recently read your ebook. Does…

Details

Can You Really Get Capital Growth on Your Buy to Lets Up North?

I never fail to be amazed when potential (or even experienced) investors tell me that they don’t want to invest up north because you don’t get capital growth. Really? Well, that’s news to me. And I’ve been investing “Up North” for over 20 years. Now, of course, wherever you invest, capital growth is not linear.…

Details

Should I Buy Now or Wait Until Next Year

I’ve had a great question from one of my readers. “If you were in the market to buy, buy to lets, would you look for deals now or wait until next year to see where the market is then?” Now, I have to start by saying that I can’t give financial advice, I can only…

Details

What Will Happen Next In The Property Market

So what is going to happen next in the property market, and how does this affect us as property investors? We’re living in strange times because, despite lock-down and the most dramatic fall in GDP (probably) ever, the housing market is going through a boom period. Nationwide have just reported (Sept 2020) house process in…

Details

The Rules and Regs on Stress Testing Mortgages and Rent Cover Requirements

I’ve had a few questions around Stress Testing (of buy to let mortgages) and how that works.

And, of course, this is an important subject because Stress Testing in effect set’s the maximum amount we can borrow.

If you want to do Buy to Let with BRR (Buy Refurbish Refinance), it’s the stress test which means that the upper limit of value is going to be around £200,000 (this isn’t a precise figure and don’t forget each bank uses slightly different figures and so the upper limit will be different for each bank).

Details

What Type of Property Makes The Best Buy to Let

When a lot of would-be investors start in buy to let, they often have dreams of buying really nice houses, in really nice areas. But are those the best properties to buy as an investment? Often the answer is no. By and large the best properties for investing are cheaper properties in cheaper areas. This…

Details

The Rules and Regs on Loans to Portfolio Landlords

Since 2017 the banks have been encouraged to apply new procedures when processing applications from what are known as ‘portfolio landlords’. So what is a ‘portfolio landlord’? The definition of “portfolio landlord” is someone who owns 4 or more mortgaged properties. By the way it doesn’t make any difference if these properties are owned in…

Details