Kensington Mortgages has updated its offering to give buy-to-let (BTL) landlords what it claims will be greater product choice.
The lender has also reduced rates across its entire range.
Rates have been cut by up to 0.45 per cent, with rates starting from 2.69 per cent for a two-year fixed rate at 70 per cent loan-to-value (LTV).
The updated proposals will also include new zero completion fees and free valuations products, as well as a new one-year ERC fixed rate.
Kensington Mortgages has also vowed to help borrowers who have had credit problems with the launch of its Options range.
Customers will be eligible for the Options range even if they have one secured arrears in the past 24 months, but none in the past three months, or have an unsecured arrears greater than six months old.
They can also have one county court judgment or one default in the past 24 months, but none in the past six months.
According to the Bank of England, the share of BTL lending has increased for the first time since the first quarter of 2017, making up 13.9 per cent of new lending. It took 14.1 per cent of new loans, up from 12.6 per cent in the previous quarter.
Liz Syms, chief executive at Connect for Intermediaries, said despite the raft of changes hitting landlords in the past couple of years, the sector has remained resilient.
She added: “The reason for this is there are still very good returns to be had in the buy-to-let market – this is despite changes to the tax regime, portfolio landlord reforms, the introduction of the energy performance register (EPC) and the forthcoming tightening of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) rules.
"Some people who are not serious about BTL and not prepared for all the changes will have left the market; however, landlords that have well-run properties, kept to a good standard, will still be making profits and as a result are continuing to expand their portfolios, so I think this is what we are seeing in these figures from the Bank of England. We could well have hit the bottom of the market and be on the way back up again now.”
Provider view
Craig McKinlay, sales and marketing director at Kensington Mortgages, said: “At Kensington, our focus is, and always has been, to help Britain’s underserved borrowers and we are delighted to be able to offer BTL landlords higher LTVs, reduced rates across the board and a wider selection of products to choose from.
“These latest changes reinforce our commitment to the growing specialist lending market as we reach out to a wider customer base and provide more flexibility for BTL landlords.
“I’m confident that this latest enhancement to our buy-to-let range will be received positively by our intermediaries. What’s more, this is a continuation in a series of announcements that we will be making to further enhance our BTL range and will be sharing over the coming weeks.”
Fees/charges
Zero completion fees.
Adviser view
Michelle Lawson, personal mortgage and protection adviser at Lawson Financial, said: “It is always good to see lenders responding to market needs and higher loan-to-values on buy-to-let lending, along with lower fees, will always be welcomed.”
Verdict
A reduction in rates is good news for BTL landlords, who have been facing a wave of regulatory change that has made it tougher to operate as a non-professional landlord.
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