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:
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.
William W
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.
Chantelle S
Sam O'Neill, and the new lender he identified for me, worked tirelessly together using my time constraints, to make sure my mortgage application was completed on time. They are a brilliant company to work with, fast, efficient, open and transparent from the very beginning, and turned a seemingly impossible situation into a viable one. Sam was brilliant throughout the whole process and I would highly recommend him, and his colleague Helen, to anyone without hesitation, I cannot speak highly enough about them.
Myr B
I was incredibly lucky to find Clifton Private Finance after a search on line as their service has been more than exemplary. My point of contact was Sam 0’Neill and he was happy to help at every stage during the application of the bridging loan, making a stressful process much easier to deal with. He was always available by phone or email and gave prompt answers to queries I had as well as always getting back to me when he said he would. That to me is excellent customer service and I cannot thank him personally or the company enough for the support they have given me.
C Jefferey
Adam cannot thank you enough for all your support throughout this arrangement. You have gone more than the extra mile to support us. Without you we would not have got our dream retirement home. You have been most professional and personable. Liz and I would be more than happy if you wanted to use us a reference with respect to any future clients.
Nigel & Liz K - Bristol
You have certainly shown me that you do everything for your clients, including tolerating their excessive emails and questions for updates. I have been kept in the loop, from yourself, about why the delays were occurring (Nationwide, post etc) which I would like to highlight that I really appreciated. I certainly will be able to recommend you to others as and when the need arises.
Mr Morris
I recently contacted Clifton Private Finance after a Google search for bridging finance providers and was immediately struck by their efficiency and support. Forms were emailed over almost immediately and the necessary finance was arranged within a few days. None of the other companies I contacted came close to their professionalism, and the quote that I eventually received was impressive. Thank you Adam, your help has enabled us to reserve the house that we wanted and I certainly recommend you to others.
Mr M. R. - Oxford
Absolutely brilliant. The service was first class, got everything sorted efficiently and were always friendly. Any fees were negligible compared to the service offered. Robert was particularly outstanding.
Charles N
My advisor, Robert, was very helpful in finding the mortgage to suit me. He kept me up to date throughout the process and dealt with any issues when they arose.
Rowena C
I have received fantastic service from your company from my first moment of contact. Adam Arnott has been dealing with my application and has kept me informed throughout the normally stressful process.
John H