It has hints and tips, regional statistics and valuable information for budding landlords.
The site, accessible from UCB’s home page or at www.ucbhomeloans.co.uk/buytolet provides a comprehensive guide to the buy to let market, including advice on investing and regular update reports.
The new microsite offers the following features:
- Making a living as a landlord - Things to consider if you're thinking of becoming a landlord.
- Finishing touches - Pointers on thinking ahead so that essential issues are not forgotten.
- Improving your property – Information on how to fund improvements by taking out a Further Advance.
- What to look out for - Help in avoiding potential problems that can be faced by landlords.
- Getting started - The big questions you need to consider before buying a property to let.
- Choosing your mortgage – An overview of the range of buy to let mortgages available.
- Choosing your area - A region-by-region guide to the UK buy to let market, including property hot spots.
- Expert advice – A list of areas where you may need to seek professional advice.
- Market overview – Links to Buy to Let Update, the UCB Home Loans series of regular reports on the buy to let sector.
- Downloads – UCB Home Loans buy to let literature in PDF format for quick and easy downloads.
Charles Reed, managing director at UCB Home Loans said; “The site has been designed with the needs of new landlords in mind. Buy to let investment is being used by an increasing number of people, often as a supplement to pension arrangements, but it is important that if you are considering taking out a buy to let mortgage that you get good advice first. Latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that the number of buy to let mortgages rose by almost 50% last year, from 275,500 at the end of 2002 to 408,300 at the end of 2003. This represents around £39 billion in lending, which means that buy to let is a serious business.”
The site has been designed to offer the user easy navigation and concise copy, making it simple to find information.
The UCB Home Loans website is already recognised as a winner in official ratings of financial websites. Since January 2002 it has been consistently voted one of the top sites in an independent review of 105 mortgage sites produced each month by Blays Internet Rating Service, with points awarded for design, navigation, speed, content and interactivity.
