Buy to let mortgages.

A buy-to-let mortgage is a mortgage on a residential property that you intend to rent out.

You can get a buy-to-let mortgage on a property you're buying, or a property you already own and want to turn into a rental (like a property you've inherited).

In most cases, your buy-to-let mortgage will be considered a type of commercial loan. Having said that, a small number will be considered personal finance and will therefore be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Buy-to-let mortgages work much like any other mortgage. You put down a deposit, and borrow the balance of the price of the property as a mortgage.

There are usually two types: interest-only, and capital repayment.

With an interest-only mortgage, your monthly payments are smaller because they only cover the interest you’re incurring each month – and the balance you borrowed initially must be repaid as a lump sum, when the term of your mortgage ends.

With a capital repayment mortgage, your monthly payments are larger and cover both the interest and what you initially borrowed – so when the term ends, you own the property outright.

In addition, you can choose between a fixed-rate and a variable-rate mortgage. If you choose a fixed-rate, your repayments are locked-in for a set period at the start of your mortgage, while on a variable-rate mortgages the interest can be varied by the lender (after giving you a bit of notice).

Because of this, fixed-rate mortgages offer more peace of mind, but tend to have higher interest rates.

We don't have any minimum income requirements, and if your rental income sufficiently exceeds your monthly payments we won't insist on an affordability assessment. If you've not yet bought the property, we can use an assessment of the potential rental income from an estate agent.

If we do need to conduct an affordability assessment, we'll take into account all of your income – including up to 90% of projected rent, rent from other properties you own, pension income, and wages from your day job (if you have one).

We're happy to lend to first-time landlords, limited companies, property professionals, expats and others.

If you’re unsure if your circumstances mean you qualify, get in touch with us to discuss your eligibility.

We have several Buy to Let mortgage products, and the minimum deposit (or equity, if you're remortgaging) we insist on varies based on the property and your circumstances. As an absolute minimum, you'll need to put in 25% of the property's value.

However, if you also own other properties and have sufficient equity, we may be able to use these as additional security to lend you 100% of the value of your new purchase.

We offer buy-to-let mortgages of anywhere from £30,000 to £2.5m – and sometimes more! If you want to borrow a large amount (i.e. over £500,000) we may or may not insist on you putting in a larger deposit or more equity.

If you've already got a mortgage on your home and want to rent it out, you may not need to do anything. Speak to your existing mortgage provider to find out; some lenders will give their consent, and some will insist you switch to a specific buy-to-let mortgage product. It often depends on the circumstances.

If they're insisting you switch, remember you have the option to shop around. Make sure you check if there are any Early Repayment Charges associated with switching to another lender.

If you own a buy-to-let property and need to move into it, speak to your mortgage provider about changing your buy-to-let mortgage to a residential mortgage.

If they won’t let you do this, it’s time to shop around – as you may be in breach of the terms of your buy-to-let mortgage if you move in without their knowledge.

The rate you're offered may be influenced by several factors, including:

• The type of rental property you have (e.g. long-term rental, or short-term holiday let).
• The value of the property you're using to secure the mortgage.
• How much you need to borrow (both in total, and as a percentage of your property's value).
• Your credit history (but not your credit score).

There’s no strict limit, but some mortgage lenders will put a limit on how many mortgages (or how much you’ve borrowed overall) they’ll let you have. Here at Together, we have no such limits.

Some investors who own lots of rental properties may instead decide to have one very large mortgage that covers all of them, so they have a single monthly payment to meet.

This is known as a portfolio buy-to-let mortgage and is secured against all of their properties at the same time, and is something we also offer.

Yes, we’ll consider applications from first-time buyers for a Together Buy to Let mortgage and treat them the same as anyone else. This includes both first-time property investors and people who’ve never owned their own home as well.

We charge a Lenders Arrangement Fee, and some of our Buy to Let mortgages include an Early Repayment Charge, which you'll pay if you elect to remortgage with another lender or repay your loan in full before the term ends.

We also charge a Redemption Administration Fee when you 'redeem' (i.e. fully repay) your mortgage, to cover costs associated with closing your account and dispensing our legal claim to your property.

All of these fees can vary, so we'll ensure that the fees that apply to your particular mortgage are clearly explained before you sign on the dotted line.

Other fees and charges may be applied to your account during the life of your mortgage, in relation to the management of your account (for instance, if you fall behind on your monthly payments). These are all explained in our Tariff of Charges.