Private Rented Sector Buy to Let Consultants
Stupid Mortgage Lenders I used to do a bit of consultancy for mortgage lenders, but I don’t anymore as the attractions of being semi-retired appeals far better. So, my tongue is now loosened and I can say what I think more freely. So here goes: Most mortgage lending companies still employ weird underwriting criteria which often make bugger all sense […]
Read moreAt LettingFocus we take a look at marketing to the private rented sector and to landlords. We look at which sectors of business are good at it – and which are not As part of our business consultancy at LettingFocus.com we advise organisations – both public and private – about how to connect with, market to and sell products and […]
Read moreAt LettingFocus we are pleased to see our evidence to the London Assembly on the private rented sector was accepted and made it through as a key recommendation. The London Assembly has issued another report on the private rented sector – this time calling for the mayor to intervene in the capital’s private rented sector to “stabilise rents” and encourage […]
Read moreDavid Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com observes the latest mortgage lender U turn on allowing landlords to let to housing benefit tenants, but says that rather than a “blanket” approach of either allowing or not allowing landlords to do this, a better way would be if lenders “selectively” allowed it – with the decision linked to other variables such as landlord experience […]
Read more“First time buyers cannot get onto the housing ladder. They are priced out of lots of areas where they would like to live”. You hear this kind of thing quite a lot: Young first time buyers are priced out because they are not earning enough or because they cannot raise the necessary deposit to get a mortgage. But is it […]
Read moreFor some reason, investing in residential property has often made a fool out of otherwise sensible people (and banks). All too often, they cannot see a bubble until it is about to burst. In this blog post David Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com mulls over the wreckage. Every now and then you will read of a banker (or one of their supporters) […]
Read morePrivate residential landlords are typically long term investors and supposedly quite canny too. So one would expect them to typically opt for mortgages which at the end of any initial “teaser” fixed or discounted term would “go to” or “revert to” a rate which was going to be very competitive over the long term. And yet I often hear of […]
Read moreLenders new found worries about interest only mortgages is impacting buy to let mortgages too. It is likely the smart lenders who understand buy to let will benefit from this, says David Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com. Private landlords need to shop around to find these lenders. Residential interest only mortgages are the cause of a great deal of worry for the […]
Read moreLandlords (or indeed anyone buying a property) face ever rising costs to buy and sell property. On the buying side, stamp duty and the now ubiquitous “mortgage arrangement fee” are both much higher than in days gone by and local councils also charge more for searches. On the selling side, estate agency fees continue to rise. On both buying and […]
Read moreA recent survey and press release from the Halifax (the ones with those annoying but oddly impactful adverts of the two girls making a jingle and spilling their coffee) got a lot of column inches. “Suddenly we are becoming nation of private renters” says the Halifax. Those of you who have followed my work for a while will know that […]
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