For the remainder of the year I will be dedicating all posts to answering Questions from our readers. Have you got a question or would you like me to cover something I haven’t written about in the last few weeks? Scroll down to the bottom of this post and reach out to me via any of the listed channels.
“I live at home with my parents, but I want to buy a property and rent it out. Is this possible?”
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Yes, this is called a Buy to Let property and you’ll need a 15% deposit. However, you cannot buy these kind of properties using a Government scheme.
Today we are going to focus on the Buy to Let Mortgage, but you also have the consumer buy to let and consent to let route.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the other two types of letting routes which we are not going to discuss today:
Consumer Buy to Let – you lived in the property, bought another place/moved back home, got consent to rent out your property from your mortgage provider and eventually remortgaged with another lender on a consumer buy to let mortgage.
Consent to Let – You have a residential mortgage, for whatever reason, your lender gives you permission to let your property for a specific amount of time (e.g 1 Year) or indefinitely. Once you’ve come to the end of this agreed time, you move back in to the property, sell the property or get indefinite permission to Let and Remortgage elsewhere on a consumer buy to let Mortgage product.
How to guide – It’s fairly simple:
- Find a property
- Find out the average monthly rental income in that area
- Agree a purchase price
- Deposit – have you got at least 15%? **
- Apply for a Mortgage
- Understand that once the valuation takes place, the surveyor isn’t only valuing the property, but giving a figure for your expected rental income
- You get your Mortgage Offer
- Touch base with your solicitor and continue the Post-Offer process with them. ..
** Some lenders offer 90% LTV (this means a 10% deposit) products for Buy to Let Mortgages. However for a first time landlord, you will have to find the right Broker and search high and low for the right lender as not many lenders lend to First-time buy to let buyers – the common trend is that you have to have your residential property for at least 6 months before buying a BTL.
Tax – Something else to think about.
No income goes unnoticed and this is particularly the case for rental income.
The income tax rates for the 2019/2020 tax year are as follows:
- Higher rate tax band (taxable income of £46,351 to £150,000) = 40%
- Additional rate taxpayer (taxable income of over £150,000) = 45%
Tax bands are slightly different in Scotland
If you earn £15,000 from renting out your property, for example, the first £11,850 is tax-free, so you will only pay 20% tax on the remaining £3,150, which comes to £630.
However, bare in mind you may also have a full-time job, your rental income will be added to your annual salary, which may increase what you pay in tax.
In any case, the HMRC will work this out for you when you declare your income.
Things to consider:
1.Tax Return – Make sure you do one online before 31st January (or a paper return by the 31st October)
This is important, so that when you remortgage or buy another property, your rental income can be evidenced and used for affordability. Even if your income is below the threshold and your rental income is not taxed, your Tax Return will still need to be done evidencing £0. You also don’t want to get in trouble with the law!
2. Do you want the property in your name? Limited Company maybe? Explore your options and benefits.
3. Extra income is great, however remember to take unexpected expenses in to consideration. Have an account solely for your rental income and Mortgage payments and leave all miscellaneous money/profit in there. Why? If your tenant doesn’t pay the rent, you need to replace the boiler or an unfortunate event takes place that your insurance doesn’t cover, you don’t want your property to become a devouring burden. The aim of the game is to make your property pay for itself and then some…
4. Managing Agent. Are you going to have your property run by an Estate Agent and simply collect your income at the end of the month? They will respond to any call outs, ensure you get your rent on time even if the tenants don’t pay, deal with your insurance and gas safety certificate etc. Explore your options – remember nothing in life is free, you have to pay the agency. The management of your property could cost you 10% of your rental income. Are you wiling to take this deduction for peace of mind?
I hope this has helped! I would love to hear your thoughts.
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