Buy-to-let lending follows its own logic. Lenders test projected rental income against the mortgage payment using stress calculations that vary widely between them, and the picture changes again for higher-rate taxpayers and for purchases held through a limited company.
Structure matters as much as rate here, and it is settled at the start rather than fixed later.
Most lenders apply an interest coverage ratio, requiring the expected rent to exceed the mortgage payment by a set margin at an assumed interest rate. The margin and the assumed rate differ between lenders and between borrower types, which is why the same property can support very different loan sizes depending on where the application lands.
We run those calculations before you offer, so you know what the rental figures will actually support.
Holding property through a company changes the tax treatment, the lending criteria, the rate and the running costs. It suits some landlords well and others poorly, and the right answer depends on your income, your plans and how many properties you intend to hold.
We will explain the mortgage side in full and recommend you take advice from an accountant on the tax side. Buy-to-let mortgage advice that ignores the tax position is only half an answer.
We advise landlords buying a first investment property and those refinancing several at once. Portfolio landlords face additional underwriting, including a review of the whole portfolio rather than the single property being financed. Expect a straightforward assessment of which lenders suit your structure and where the costs actually fall.
A first conversation is free, informal, and carries no obligation.
