Knowledge Bank

'First-time landlord' tops BTL broker searches




‘First-time landlord’ was the most popular term searched by brokers in the BTL market in March, revealed the latest Knowledge Bank criteria activity tracker results.

‘First-time buyers’ also featured in the month’s top five most-searched terms, suggesting brokers continue to work with inexperienced landlords.

Meanwhile, in the bridging market, broker searches were fairly similar to previous months’, with ‘regulated bridging’ taking the top spot for the fifth time in a row.

The popularity may be partly driven by competition in the housing market, as buyers use bridging loans to either avoid a chain collapsing when a seller pulls out or to buy a property before their own sells.

‘Minimum loan amount’ was the second most popular search for bridging, followed by ‘maximum LTV’ and ‘commercial property’.

The only change in bridging searches was the return of ‘second-charge loan’ in the top five most-searched terms — the first time it has featured since December 2021.

Broker searches for the commercial market also remained relatively similar to last month’s results, with ‘semi-commercial properties’ and ‘minimum loan amount’ being the two most-searched terms.

Matthew Corker, operations director at Knowledge Bank, said: “The BTL sector continues to gain interest and lenders are launching new BTL products frequently.

“Those that are open to working with inexperienced landlords are capitalising on a growing niche in the sector and more and more lenders may follow suit.

“Although regulated bridging continues to dominate searches, the growing number of loans connected to commercial properties is an interesting part of the market.

“With the changing face of the high-street, some businesses are adapting their premises to accommodate the new way consumers both shop and work.”

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