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Written by Emma Lunn

The year 1996 was the year that John Major was in power, a little known band called the Spice Girls stormed the charts and just 4% of the UK population had access to something called the internet. It was also the year that buy-to-let was born.

ARLA and a small select panel of lenders including Paragon Mortgages, were instrumental in recognising the growing demand from private landlords for specifically tailored mortgage finance to help meet the rapidly growing demand for private rented property.

Over the past 18 years the buy-to-let market has developed considerably, supporting growth in the UK’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) whilst driving up quality and improving choice and competition. Today the PRS is the second largest housing tenure in the UK – over taking the social housing sector for the first time since 1961 in 2012/2013.

In 1996 there were 2.4 million households in the PRS – 18 years later this has more than doubled to 4.9 million. At the same time the sector has seen the fastest rate of improvement in the quality of accommodation of all three major tenures, and tenant satisfaction in the PRS now exceeds those in the social rented sector.

The profile of tenants living in the PRS has also changed since 1996, with more families living in private rented homes. In 1996, 13% of tenants living in the PRS were families – this has now increased to 20%.

John Heron, managing director of Paragon Mortgages, said: “The buy-to-let market has been a force for good for the wider UK housing market. Before the development of buy-to-let landlords had few options when considering how best to finance a rented property. The finance that was available was expensive and poorly matched to the customer’s needs. It was particularly difficult for new landlords to start to build a portfolio.

“Buy-to-let has changed all this. It enabled landlords to access finance that was better designed to meet the specific needs of the rental market at much more competitive interest rates and thus helped expand quality and choice in the PRS.

“Whilst most people continue to aspire to home ownership, and the mortgage industry plays a critical role in facilitating this, for many the PRS remains a housing choice out of both convenience and need. Mortgage lenders can and do work alongside landlords and the letting agency industry to make sure that renting privately provides safe, efficient and flexible housing for those that rely upon the sector for a home.”

Valerie Bannister, president of ARLA, said: “With the deregulation of the industry through the 1988 Housing Act, combined with the introduction of a suitable financing model through buy-to-let, the private rental sector has grown substantially since the 1990s.

“It’s now a thriving force in our housing market that’s growing year on year. Without a vibrant buy-to-let market, landlords couldn’t provide the much needed, good quality and affordable accommodation for tenants that they do.”

Comments

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    The Buy to Let scheme invented by ARLA was not designed on a whim. We designed it to help our members who were seeing a significant reduction in stock to let,. The recession in the housing market in the late 1980's and early 90's saw a large nume of home owners who needed to move to become reluctant landlords. Can't sell will let. Once the market started to return for house sales, houses were sold.

    Our members needed an alternative supply to meet demand for rented property so we came up with Buy to Let. The interesting thing is that whilst there are plenty of lenders now at the launch there was a great deal of scepticism and lenders wanted a premium rate to lend on a house that was let.

    You are right in saying that the Buy to Let market has revolutionised the housing market. It is an established tenure the PRS

    • 21 October 2014 21:01 PM
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