Rates rising....and great event for Landlords

You can’t have missed the increasing press column inches regarding a possible Bank Base Rate rise recently.  Sometimes I do think we talk the market in to a direction rather than letting it take its natural path!  History suggests that we tend to see the fixed rates rise first, before the bank base itself.  Over the last week we’ve seen a number of lenders increase their fixed rates, including Nationwide, Halifax and Barclays.  Some rates have increased by up to 0.9%!  I suspect others will also follow as SWAP rates (the mechanism through which lenders can acquire a fixed price for funding over a specific period of time) have also increased over the last week.

That said, the Bank of England has to take in to account the huge debt levels the nation currently has and that even a small base rate hike could have a significant effect on current spending levels.  However, it appears to be an issue which is gathering pace and we should watch this development closely.

Do remember that even if your rate is not up for renewal for a few months, some lenders mortgage offers are valid up to six months, so you can arrange a new rate in advance of your current rate coming to an end.   This will also ensure that you don’t move to the lenders standard variable rate, which will inevitably will be higher than your current rate, whilst looking for your next mortgage product. 

And finally, it was great to see so many people at the Landlord Property Investor and Homebuyer Show at the London ExCel last week.  It also highlighted how many people are not yet aware of the new rules surrounding portfolio landlords.  This is a large education piece and one that needs to be taken in to account asap by anyone who owns more than four properties.  Although each lender’s requirements are different, in the main, the common requirements are now a Business Plan, a Cashflow and forecast, Assets and Liabilities statements and full details on the whole portfolio including current mortgage, value, rent achieved, etc.  These new rules will take a while to bed in and as there is an increase in underwriting, I suspect delays will occur for a while, so be aware if you are in a rush!  

Mortgages for the over 65's. Yes!

AToM were exhibiting at the excellent Landlord and Property Investor Show at the ExCel over the weekend and in addition to the many Buy to Let enquiries received, there were a huge number from people who thought they could not obtain a Residential mortgage over the age of 70!  

On the high street, this may still remain true in some cases as these lenders generally allow a mortgage term to last until the applicants normal retirement age.  This used to be 65, it tends to now be 67, but the reality is it can be much later.  Most lenders increased their maximum age at the end of mortgage maturity to age 70.  However, we all know that people are working a lot longer now and repayment of such a large amount of money may not be possible in these restrictive conditions.  So the option is to raise further finance to repay the original loan or sell the property.  Thankfully, the first option is less onerous than it used to be.  Many non-household named lenders will look at lending to customers to a lot later in life, assuming the customers can prove their continued ability to pay.   This can take the maturity age up to age 80, 85 or even 90 and above.  If the customer has a good and regular amount of income, a high level of equity in the property and can satisfy the lenders affordability requirements, then some lenders will be happy to lend.

This is the same with Buy to Let, where at least one lender we have access to allows the applicant to apply right up to age 80, with a 30 year mortgage term!  Many others have no restriction on age either.  Responsible lending and affordability are key in any lenders decision making. 

Age really is no longer an issue and simply needs specialist advice from someone who offers a range of lenders from the 'whole of market', not just a restricted panel of lenders or the high street.

Sometimes a conversation with a human being is just what is needed!

Over the last few weeks, we have seen a number of lenders who have post positive half year results.  Many stating that they have increased lending against their previous financial year.  But this is hardly surprising as many didn't want to lend (or maybe were not allowed to!) post the new regulation implementations in early 2014.  However, it is important to run with the positive news and such announcements on half yearly figures show that lenders are now keen to lend and are looking at ways to compete in an active market.  What this means is that end consumers should be able to bag a bargain for some time yet whilst rates remain low and competitive.  Some industry pundits are even stating that it will be the middle of 2016 before they expect any rate rises...

This has also resulted in a swing between the high street and niche lenders.  The smaller lenders are stealing market share from the 'super tankers' on the high street as an increasing number of consumers are requiring a manual and human assessment rather than a computer decision making system.  Despite all of the available technologies in the current climate, sometimes a conversation with a human being is just what is needed!

From where we see it, on the front line, I would dare to suggest that consumer confidence appears to be the highest it has been for some considerable time.  People are selling, people are buying and many are remortgaging!  August is never normally this busy!  It is not just one geographical area either, although does appears to have a leaning to the south. What does seem to be apparent is that the demand is for ‘all types of mortgages' for all types of people!   From the straight forward, to the complex, to the commercial shop front, to the credit issues, to the first time landlord investing in their first Buy to Let property and so much more, we are seeing many different scenarios.

Finally, Nationwide House Price index has indicated that House Prices increased in July by 0.4% compared to June and 3.5% over the last twelve months.  The average house price now sits at £195,621.