Happy Birthday! UK Buy-to-Let turns 15 this month
The UK buy-to-let sector will be celebrating its fifteenth anniversary on the 24th September 2011 having been launched by the Association of Residential Letting Agents back in 1996 at the RAC Club, Pall Mall.
Praised by The Paragon Group of Companies for making a positive contribution to the UK housing market, buy-to-let was developed in response to the surge in demand for rented property following the recession of the early nineties. After its successful launch, buy-to-let quickly developed a strong and well-defined market for itself leading it to become a popular ‘investment product’ for first time property investors that still reigns true till this day.
Nigel Terrington, Chief Executive of Paragon Group explains,
"Buy-to-let has galvanised the rental market over the past 15 years, whilst providing an attractive asset class for property investors. Buy-to-let finance was the catalyst for the revitalisation of the modern private rented sector."
Indeed, the new and much needed capital helped regenerate a crumbling market by improving not only standards of accommodation but by creating a far wider choice for tenants. In fact, it has been suggested that the private rented sector (PRS) which had tumbled to 7% of all housing by the early nineties would have perished without the buy-to-let initiative.
Since the buy to let early days, 2.1 million B2L loans have been advanced while the value of buy-to-let balances has risen from £5.4 billion in 1999 to £154.5 billion in 2011. Additionally, at least 3.9 million properties (2010) are in the PRS providing homes for 1 in 6 households.
Meanwhile, the UK’s biggest house builder, Barratt has seen a 25% increase in sales to investors in H1 2011 compared to the same period in 2010 while a report by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Paragon Mortgages highlighted increased activity in the buy to let remortgage sector between Q1 and Q2 2011.
In addition to the increased activity in the sector, rents rose by 1.2% in August this year, according to the latest Buy-to-let Index from LSL Property Services plc with average rents across England and Wales standing at approximately £713 per month, compared to only £705 in July providing opportunities for buy-to-let investors to line their pockets with increased rental incomes.
Ray Withers, Director of UK buy-to-let property investment experts, Property Frontiers, comments,
“Nowadays more and more people are choosing to live in rented accommodation which in turn has been pushing up rental demand. This has of course pushed up confidence among buy-to-let investors and with rental prices rising, around 78% of investors are now looking to buy additional investment properties next year to take advantage of rising rental values.”
With their finger on the buy-to-let pulse, Property Frontiers has launched the perfect buy-to-let investment opportunity located just north of Liverpool city centre offering a 10% net rental assured for 3 years equivalent to a rental income of £6,900 per apartment.
Candia Tower Apartments is a prestigious development comprised of 128 quality 3 bedroom apartments priced at £69,000. Set within a private gated community, this buy-to-let development includes an on-site gymnasium, management office, on-site security, CCTV and dedicated parking space with each unit, all purpose-built and decorated to a high-quality standard.
For more information on this not to be missed but to let opportunity please contact Property Frontiers on +44 (0) 1865 202700 or visit www.propertyfrontiers.com.