The findings follow the Chancellor’s announcement that letting agent would face a ban on upfront fees charged to tenants, coming on the back of a swathe of other tax changes for buy-to-let landlords.
John Bagshaw, corporate services director of Connells Survey & Valuation, said: “2016 has been something of an annus horribilis for landlords. They have had to contend with the reverberations of the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge and the removal of 10% ‘wear and tear’ allowance.
“Fortunately, June through to October were all relatively good months for BTL remortgages with activity rising. The sector was beginning to find its footing again. However Phillip Hammond’s latest proposals regarding lettings fees appear to have unsettled the market again.”
Remortgaging activity boosted the mortgage market last month, said Connells, outperforming all other areas, with valuations rising 5% compared to October and 25% on an annual basis.
Bagshaw noted: “There’s no doubt that remortgaging is driving the mortgage market at the moment. Homeowners want to lock into deals before rates rise.”
Overall valuation activity was virtually static in November as the number of valuations fell 0.1% on October.
