Buy-to-let investors: don’t fight the government
The government has given another clear signal that it has the buy-to-let business firmly in its sights. Avoid at all costs, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
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We've warned against getting too enthusiastic about the buy-to-let business for some time. The political tide is turning against it as is quite clearly shown by the stamp duty surcharge on second properties and the huge changes to the tax deductions allowed on mortgage interest and wear and tear.
Lenders will now be required to make sure that borrowers will still be able to pay their mortgages if interest rates were to rise to 5.5% up tofive years after they take it out. They will also be obliged to make sure that the income from a property will be 125% of the mortgage payments.
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Some lenders will already have similar stress testsin place (it isn't a surprise the consultation began in March,and lots of lenders have already moved to 145% to takethe falling value of buy-to-lettax breaks into account). But many won't.
The result will be fewer buyers in the market (particularly in the Southeast where yields are super low) and in time a fall in house prices.
That's bad news for current buy-to-let investors hoping to get out with significant capital gains, but good news for first-time buyers looking to get into the property market in a year ortwo.
It's also something that might to begin to redress the wealth imbalance I mentioned in anearlier post.
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