30
Sep
Buy-to-let still strong, says NLA
The National Landlord s Association (NLA) has said that the
buy-to-let industry is not dead, despite the nationalisation of
buy-to-let mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley.
It has pointed out that only between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of
buy-to-let investors use a mortgage to fund their acquisitions in
any case, while a number of other factors are helping to keep the
market buoyant.
Among these are demographic factors such as immigration, large
student numbers and a higher overall number of households owing to
social and lifestyle factors, all of which create extra demand for
rent.
The body also noted that most investors keep their portfolios for
long periods of around 15 years.
NLA head of communications Simon Gordon said: "It is simply not
true that the nation's landlords are now facing some sort of
crisis."
Yesterday the Council of Mortgage Lenders produced statistics to
show that the level of repossessions was no higher for buy-to-let
mortgages than for residential mortgages.
