For Remortgaging & Buying Investment Property In The UK
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First-time investors and experienced single-tenant landlords may be attracted by the impressive returns on HMOs. Projected annual returns of 4-5% for a straightforward buy-to-let can be doubled for a multiple-occupancy letting. Which is more than enough to persuade many landlords to tackle the additional licensing and finance requirements.
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is any rental property with shared facilities (such as bathrooms and kitchens) which is rented out to three or more people who aren’t part of a single "household" (usually a family). They’re often just known as a "house share".
What many people refer to as an HMO is actually a Large HMO, which is a rental property with five or more tenants, where the tenants share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.
As a landlord, you don’t need a licence to run a standard HMO with four or fewer occupants. But different mortgage lenders for these specialist buy-to-let mortgages may have different definitions and requirements for their HMO lending.
Landlords do need an HMO licence to operate a Large HMO, which will usually be valid for five years - which is why they are sometimes referred to as Licenced HMOs.
Smaller HMOs, which don't need to be licensed, have commonly been referred to as "unlicensed HMOs," but the term can seem to suggest that they are somehow illegal or fly-by-night. Some owners, local authorities and lenders refer to these smaller HMOs as multi-lets, "HMOs Not Required To Be Licensed," or "non-licensable HMOs".
With the cost of buying a home still rising, the demand for affordable rented accommodation remains very strong. Local listing sites (Gumtree, Zoopla, Rightmove…) will help first-time landlords to assess the strength of demand from prospective tenants:
Landlords can manage their HMO property by setting up one "joint and severally liable" agreement covering all the tenants, or using an individual contract for each tenant.
Prospective landlords may see HMO properties advertised for sale offering “100%+ gross yields”. Profits may be maximised by running the property through a limited company structure, but first-time landlords need to be aware that costs for HMO properties are considerable. They include:
A specialist HMO mortgage advisor will be happy to discuss your requirements:
I approached Clifton Private Finance to help me get a mortgage as an Expat working in the Far East. I would normally 'cut out the middle man' on something like this and try to get myself a deal directly with the banks, but I am now sold on the broker concept and wouldn't hesitate to use Clifton Private Finance again. There were a number of complicating factors such as being an expat, the stamp duty holiday, the sheer amount I wanted to borrow and the fact I wanted it all wrapped up before the Stamp Duty holiday ended. It is clear to me now that the relationship that brokers have managed to foster with their banks means they can simply pull levers and make stuff happen that us ordinary folk cannot. Put simply, they are worth every penny, will take most of the stress out of the lending process, and seem to have access to deals that you just won't find on the internet. Thank you George and Jan for all your hard work!
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Luther was excellent. Very clear in his advice and explanations of products and was able to move things on very quickly when we ran into difficulties with the estate agents. Without a doubt I would recommend Luther to all friends, family and colleagues. Luther was a joy to deal with and took a lot of the stress out of a troublesome transaction, from my end. I would view Luther as real asset to Clifton Private Finance Ltd.
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The team at Clifton Private Finance has been outstanding, not only in helping me to obtain a mortgage on a slightly unusual home, but also in continuing to provide support and liaise with the lender and solicitors through to completion. Thank you for making the process of buying my first home much easier.
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