15 July 2011

Switch and Fix on Buy to Let!

More movement in the mortgage market this week as yet more lenders have decreased rates and a pricing war seems to be unfolding in the longer term fixed rate offerings. One lender, Accord Mortgages, have reduced their 5 year fixed rate to just 3.84%, available to 75% of the property value and with a lender fee of just £995. They have also reduced their 2 year fixed to 2.79%, also with a £995 fee.

Loans of 90% of the property value and over also seem to have been targeted this week as lenders seek to assist those with small deposits. The rates are reasonably priced, but as more and more lenders re-enter this arena, with sensible lending, the rates will decrease. One example is Kensington Mortgages, funded by Investec, who offer First Time Buyers a 2 year fixed rate at 5.99% with a £699 fee and a free valuation, with a 10% deposit required. For home movers, the rate is 5.79% with a £999 fee. The benefit with Kensington is they do not credit score, compared to many others. Certainly an area to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.

The Buy to Let (BTL) market has also seen huge changes as Natwest cut some rates by 1.4%, Mortgage Trust (part of Paragon group) launch 18 new BTL products, some starting from sub 4% and The Mortgage Works (part of Nationwide) launch a 2.99% tracker and allow ‘switch to fix’ on all of their Buy to Let trackers.

The Switch to Fix option is now available on both Residential and Buy to Let mortgages via certain providers. It is a great product offering allowing you to have the best of both worlds. Take a low base rate tracker and enjoy the Bank of England base rate whilst low, and when you feel you want to fix your monthly payments for a medium to longer term, transfer to a fixed rate with the same lender. Sounds great, but just beware that the lender may charge a product fee for the fixed rate and of course, you will only have access to those fixed rates available at the time of the switch. Terms and conditions apply!

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