Aug

‘Base rate rise will put landlords and tenants under even more financial strain’

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Landlords have warned the Bank of England that its decision to raise the base rate by a quarter of a percent to 5.25% will only put more pressure on to renters and buy-to-let investors.

Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, says: “The Bank of England has warned that the average increase in monthly repayments on buy-to-let mortgages by the end of 2025 will be around £275.

“This comes as some landlords have already seen their mortgage payments increase by almost 240% since December 2021.

“With landlord profits at their lowest level for 16 years, the vast majority are doing all they can to protect tenants from the impact of growing mortgage rates.

“However, without government action, renters face a bleak future as growing costs lead to a loss of more rental homes from the market.

Properties lost

“Analysis for the NRLA has found that 735,000 rental properties could be lost across the UK if interest rates peaked at 5%. With an average of 20 requests to view each available home to rent already, today’s announcement will only worsen matters.

“The Government must urgently scrap tax changes which have dampened the supply of much-needed private rented accommodation.

“Likewise, it is also crucial that housing benefit rates are unfrozen so that vulnerable tenants receive assistance during this challenging period for the market.”

Beadle’s warning follows data from property firm CBRE today that claims that one in ten rental properties could be lost from the PRS by the end of the year as Government and economic headwinds continue to reduce landlord confidence.

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