Holiday lets: are they worth it?

If you’ve ever considered investing in a second property, you may have already thought about holiday lets. With the popularity of staycations on the rise, now could be a better time than ever to get into the game.

The ability to make some extra cash while also maintaining the possibility of enjoying the property yourself is an attractive prospect for many.

Generally, a holiday let is a property that is let out to tourists for short periods of time as accommodation for their trips. Whether you let out the property for a weekend or a month – holiday lets can command a much higher price than a standard buy to let. As long as the property is available to holidaymakers for a minimum of 210 days of the year, you are free to use it yourself for the remainder of the 12-month period. Shorter term lets can offer an easier role as a landlord too – as you’re not responsible for maintaining a tenant’s primary home.

Some recent predictions suggest that the appetite for staycations will continue to rise post-pandemic after regulations caused a surge in people choosing to holiday domestically. This trend has led to investors looking to make holiday lets a lucrative safe haven for their money. At peak times, some holiday lets in popular tourist destinations can earn as much in a week as a standard buy to let does in a month. Although holiday lets in popular destinations can be more expensive to purchase initially, the return on investment is typically more than a buy to let.

As long as your property meets the furnished holiday let criteria, holiday lets are eligible for full mortgage interest tax relief. As holiday lets are officially categorised as businesses, there’s no limit on the mortgage interest amount incurred that you’re able to offset against your profits. This can be a great way for taxpayers on a higher rate to reduce their income tax bill. Holiday lets are also subject to business rates as opposed to council tax, while there’s also a possibility you’ll be able to claim 100% relief on business rates should your property have a rateable value of less than £12,000.

While the primary reason for moving into the world of holiday lets is to generate income, they also offer the chance for landlords to enjoy them as well. Unlike a standard buy to let, landlords are able to utilise their properties for a certain period throughout the year – creating a happy medium between a second income and a second home.

If you’d like to discuss the options available to you, contact us today.

Holiday lets: are they worth it?

If you’ve ever considered investing in a second property, you may have already thought about holiday lets. With the popularity of staycations on the rise, now could be a better time than ever to get into the game.

The ability to make some extra cash while also maintaining the possibility of enjoying the property yourself is an attractive prospect for many.

Generally, a holiday let is a property that is let out to tourists for short periods of time as accommodation for their trips. Whether you let out the property for a weekend or a month – holiday lets can command a much higher price than a standard buy to let. As long as the property is available to holidaymakers for a minimum of 210 days of the year, you are free to use it yourself for the remainder of the 12-month period. Shorter term lets can offer an easier role as a landlord too – as you’re not responsible for maintaining a tenant’s primary home.

Some recent predictions suggest that the appetite for staycations will continue to rise post-pandemic after regulations caused a surge in people choosing to holiday domestically. This trend has led to investors looking to make holiday lets a lucrative safe haven for their money. At peak times, some holiday lets in popular tourist destinations can earn as much in a week as a standard buy to let does in a month. Although holiday lets in popular destinations can be more expensive to purchase initially, the return on investment is typically more than a buy to let.

As long as your property meets the furnished holiday let criteria, holiday lets are eligible for full mortgage interest tax relief. As holiday lets are officially categorised as businesses, there’s no limit on the mortgage interest amount incurred that you’re able to offset against your profits. This can be a great way for taxpayers on a higher rate to reduce their income tax bill. Holiday lets are also subject to business rates as opposed to council tax, while there’s also a possibility you’ll be able to claim 100% relief on business rates should your property have a rateable value of less than £12,000.

While the primary reason for moving into the world of holiday lets is to generate income, they also offer the chance for landlords to enjoy them as well. Unlike a standard buy to let, landlords are able to utilise their properties for a certain period throughout the year – creating a happy medium between a second income and a second home.

If you’d like to discuss the options available to you, contact us today.

The buy-to-let market: where are we now?

After a whirlwind past 18 months, it would seem some form of normality is on the horizon. The pandemic has changed the face of the housing industry drastically given the unprecedented level of uncertainty we were all subjected to. So, how has the buy-to-let (BTL) market changed as we finally emerge from the other side?

First of all, it’s important to note that the BTL market has been doing really quite well throughout the pandemic and is showing signs of improving still. Fears over the stability of the market echoed as the sheer scale of the Covid crisis was realised, but those worries haven’t quite materialised. 

Various schemes designed to encourage market growth throughout the pandemic have given landlords a boost as lower mortgage rates have helped them to manage their property portfolios more easily.  

Is now the time to invest? In recent times, the property market has boomed. House prices have been at an all-time high recently and with the lower mortgage rates still available to potential landlords, could now be the time to get involved in the BTL market? According to a new report by Shawbrook Bank, landlords are growing increasingly confident about expanding their portfolios as mortgage rates fall and rent rises. 34% of landlords are supposedly looking to invest in the BTL market over the coming 12 months, with 1 in 10 planning to expand into new areas given the changes in tenant priorities since the start of the pandemic. Rural areas are becoming increasingly popular with landlords as living in cities becomes less desirable given the rise in flexible working. 

Lack of supply is good news for BTL market Although rent prices have only seen a relatively modest increase of 1.6% over the last year, the sharp increase in house prices has given BTL properties a big boost in value. According to Shawbrook, the value of the private rented sector had grown to £1.2 trillion by the end of 2020, with BTL properties growing by 5.8% in value year-on-year. With the unprecedented lack of supplies and building materials currently available, rental properties are becoming rare commodities. This could see a substantial increase in rent prices over the next year or so. 

Mortgages for landlords BTL mortgage availability took a massive hit due to the pandemic as lenders withdrew a huge number of deals after the outbreak of Covid. Now, however, with the market settling down, BTL mortgages have returned at lower rates, which is great news for landlords. If getting into the market is potentially on the horizon for you, it is important to seek sound advice to make the most of a good period for the buy-to-let market.

If you’d like to discuss the options available to you, contact one of our advisers today