From the 1st of the month the three-storey requirement will be removed and all properties with five or more people living in two or more households and sharing a kitchen and a toilet will require an HMO license.
And while the sector gets to grips with another change, it’s been a busy old month on the lender front too with a number of criteria changes and rate reductions.
Santander and TSB
Santander has announced the maximum number of mortgaged let properties on completion is three (with any lender).
The maximum number of let properties (mortgaged and mortgage-free) on completion for remortgages without capital raising (which meet its transitional eligibility criteria) is now 10.
TSB has been busy making some changes to its buy-to-let range, moving the end dates for buy-to-let products to the end of December and introducing a number of rate reductions.
Two-year fixed rates between 60% and 75% loan to value (LTV) have been reduced by 0.10%, while three- and five-year fixed rates up to 75% LTV have been reduced by 0.30%.
LendInvest and Virgin
LendInvest announced a criteria change, on the back of ‘feedback sessions’ and will now include purpose-built studio flats to its policy.
The studios must have an internal area of more than 30 sq/m, be located within London and have adequate sales demand/liquidity.
Virgin Money became the latest lender to respond to the recent rate rise increasing its Standard Variable Rate and Buy to Let Variable Rate by 0.20%.
Clydesdale and Kent Reliance
Clydesdale Bank has also introduced a number of rate changes, reducing rates on several of its products.
Its two-year fixed rate up to 60% LTV has been cut from 2.59% to 2.39% and its two-year fix to 75% LTV has been reduced from 2.84% to 2.64%.
Finally, Kent Reliance has decreased its 75% and 80% LTV five-year fixed rates for buy-to-let standard and buy-to-let specialist products.
The new rates will now start from 3.79%.
