Buy-to-Let Investors

Buy-to-let investors | Understanding the Profound Changing Face of Buy-to-Let | 2021

 

Shawbrook Bank’s Gavin Seaholme looks at the impact of the COVID pandemic on buy-to-let investors and tenants.

The learning objectives for this article are to:

• To be able to identify the value and size of the PRS market
• To be able to explain how landlords & tenants have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic
• To be able to explain what changes are taking place regarding EPCs and their impact

Almost half of private landlords cut tenant’s rent in 2020

• Since March 2020, residential landlords estimate they gave up £6.5k in rent reductions and a further £7.5K on payment holidays.
• Over a third of landlords proactively offered a rent reduction or payment holiday.
• On average, rent reductions lasted four months, and full payment holidays lasted three months.

Almost half (46%) of landlords reduced monthly rent payments for their tenants because of the pandemic, according to upcoming research from Shawbrook Bank.

In total, 28% of landlords gave their tenants a full rent payment holiday for up to three months, where tenants were not liable to pay any rent. Additionally, 18% offered a rent reduction, a period where tenants paid a lower level of rent as agreed with their landlord.  On average, rental payment holidays lasted for three months, compared to rent reductions, which lasted four months.

Those landlords that gave their tenants a payment holiday estimate they lost £7,500 on average. In comparison, rent holidays cost landlords £6,500 on average.

When asked about how the agreement had come about, more than a third of landlords who gave a form of rent reduction said that they proactively offered it to their tenant, while a further 45% said it was a mutual decision. Concerns around furlough, job security and redundancy were all common reasons why a rent reduction or payment holiday was suggested.

Portfolio landlords – those owning four or more properties – were more likely to have agreed with a rent reduction with their tenants than single property landlords; some 17% of portfolio landlords admitted to missing out on income compared to just 12% of single property landlords.

The majority (59%) of landlords who gave rent reductions did this for more than one of their properties.

We now turn our attention to the Private Rental Sector (PRS) in more detail to assess its value, the key drivers, for example, the demand/ supply question, and the impact of regional rental yields.

Value of the Private Rented Sector grows to £1.4trn

• Rising house prices largely but not exclusively driven by the Stamp Duty holiday drive growth in the value of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) of 5.8% in the last year.
• Rising house prices to boost tenant demand
• Increasing landlord confidence, low mortgage rates and rising rental yields further set to boost the PRS in the future.

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) value in England, Wales, and Scotland grew by 5.8% to £1.4trn in the last year. Since the first national lockdown, house prices have rebounded at pace. March 2021 saw house price growth of 9.9% yearly as the Stamp Duty holiday boosted confidence and demand among Buy-to-Let Investors.

Buy-to-let properties, a favoured choice among Buy-to-Let Investors, have also seen marked price increases, with the value of the average buy-to-let property across the UK rising by 5.6% to December 2020 to approximately £258,900. The past eighteen months have been a period of substantial consequence for the PRS, which had already been impacted in recent years by taxation and regulatory changes, affecting Buy-to-Let Investors. Some landlords chose to leave the market, and the PRS actually contracted in size over the last year.

Separately, many tenants made a change, opting to return to their family homes during the pandemic, to leave cities in search of more space, or to make the most of the Stamp Duty holiday and become homeowners themselves, impacting the choices available to Buy-to-Let Investors. Therefore, This reduction in the PRS size isn’t surprising after the last year. The outlook, however, points to growth.

Demand from tenants has been growing, presenting an opportunity for Buy-to-Let Investors. In total, 42% of landlords report that they have seen demand increase for their properties in the past 12 months. In addition, two-thirds (67%) of landlords said that they were confident about the future of the property market over the next twelve months, with a third (34%) of all landlords planning to buy a property in the coming year to meet the needs of Buy-to-Let Investors.

As house prices continue to grow, more people are renting for longer, a beneficial trend for Buy-to-Let Investors. Half (49%) of renters expect to rent for the rest of their lives.

Affordability is one reason behind these figures. However, a growing number are also choosing to stay renting. More flexible lifestyles have led to some looking for the same from their property, a factor that can influence the decisions of Buy-to-Let Investors. In total, 10% said they prefer the reduced responsibility of renting, while a further 7% said that renting allowed them to live in a better location than if they bought.

When asked why they were confident about the future of the property market, landlords, including Buy-to-Let Investors, pointed to house price growth (41%), an increase in demand from tenants (41%), the general strength of the economy (33%), and the increased rental yields currently available (26%). For landlords looking to buy over the next year to capitalize on the increase in tenant demand and current low mortgage rates, Shawbrook’s research reveals the regions where Buy-to-Let Investors can achieve high rental yields.

The highest rental yields can be found in the North West (5.5%), Yorkshire and the Humber (5.4%), and Scotland (5.8%), making these regions particularly attractive for Buy-to-Let Investors. In comparison, while London may generate the highest rents, yields for London buy-to-let properties are currently amongst the lowest at 3.9%, below the UK average, making it a less appealing option for Buy-to-Let Investors.

Two in ten landlords are funding refurbishments through short-term credit

• 19% of landlords surveyed are funding refurbishments with credit cards or short-term finance products
• 62% of landlords have undertaken a refurbishment over the last 12 months
• Landlords spent over £13,000 on average on refurbishments

Two in ten landlords surveyed used a credit card or another short-term finance product to fund a recent refurbishment, according to new research by Shawbrook Bank.

Shawbrook’s Changing Face of Buy to Let report found that close to two-thirds of landlords (62%) have undertaken a refurbishment to one of their rental properties in the last 12 months, with 18% renovating more than one rental property.

Landlords also used their own finances to pay for renovations to their rental properties, with 60% utilising their personal savings or investments and 12% using a recent inheritance or windfall. A further 12% used a second-charge mortgage to finance the changes they wished to make to their rental properties.

On average, landlords spent £13K on renovation projects over the last year, with portfolio landlords (those with four or more properties within their portfolios) spending £17K. Popular works include repainting (37%), fitting new carpets or flooring (28%), and putting in a new kitchen (27%) or bathroom (27%). However, some landlords also undertook even bigger projects such as kitchen extensions (14%), a loft conversion (10%) or building a home office in the garden (8%) to capitalise on the current demand for more space for home-working and living.

For many landlords, the last year provided an opportunity to undertake these property improvements. With more experiencing a gap between tenancies, taking the opportunity to refurbish allowed them to improve the property without causing disruption. 14% of landlords said they chose to renovate because they had an extended period between their previous and incoming tenants. However, the majority of landlords were undertaking necessary work for their property. A third (34%) said that their property needed a renovation.

Landlords taking steps to improve energy efficiency ahead of new rules 

• 17% of buy-to-let landlords have undertaken a refurbishment in the last 12 months to improve the energy efficiency of their home
• New Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations will mean that from 2025, landlords cannot rent their property without an EPC rating of C or above. Without support from the government and lenders, many landlords could struggle to make changes ahead of the deadline.
• Tenants are more likely to pay more or stay longer in a property if it’s more energy-efficient

Landlords, including Buy-to-Let Investors, have begun to take steps to improve the energy efficiency of their properties ahead of new rules due to come into force in 2025, according to research from Shawbrook Bank. The new rules mean that rental properties with an EPC rating of D or below cannot take on new tenants.

The “Changing Face of Buy-to-Let Report” found that 17% of landlords, including Buy-to-Let Investors, had made efforts to enhance the energy efficiency of their property, and this figure rose to 22% for portfolio landlords (landlords with four or more buy-to-let properties).

For example, of all the landlords, including Buy-to-Let Investors, that had undertaken a refurbishment, 22% had replaced the boiler and heating system in their property, a further 23% had replaced the windows, and 18% had installed new white goods. All these actions could significantly impact a property’s EPC rating and help landlords, especially Buy-to-Let Investors, achieve a rating of C or above.

Moreover, making properties more energy efficient can boost demand from tenants, including Buy-to-Let Investors. Indeed, one in ten private renters said they would stay in their current property longer if their landlord, including Buy-to-Let Investors, changed the property that benefit the environment.

Tenants were also willing to pay more in rent should landlords, particularly Buy-to-Let Investors, make certain changes to their property. 18% of tenants said they’d pay more if the windows were replaced, 15% would pay more for a new boiler and heating system, and 10% suggested that installing solar panels would justify paying more rent.

With energy bills predicted to rise substantially next year, changing properties to improve their energy efficiency will help the environment and save tenants, including Buy-to-Let Investors, a significant amount.

However, for those landlords, including Buy-to-Let Investors, who own older, less energy-efficient properties, it can be harder to improve the rating. This could mean that by 2025, some properties will be ‘unrentable’ and ‘unsellable’.

According to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, there are close to 13 million homes in England and Wales currently with an EPC rating of D or below.