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Advice

We suggest you speak with the home office for visa advice or visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration.

Please ensure your client has all the required documentation before applying to avoid any delays.

It’s important that establish that your client has at least 12 months UK landlord experience and they must have an established UK footprint in the form of an existing mortgage, bank account or credit card. Applications from expats outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and foreign nationals will be considered by referral.

In September 2016, a number of new underwriting rules were introduced by the PRA to ensure stricter affordability tests and extra checks on portfolio landlord mortgages. As a result, lenders require more paperwork at the application stage to make a decision.

Since 2018 new and existing tenancies have been required to have an EPC rating of ‘E’ or above; with a penalty of up to £5,000 in place for those properties that do not meet the requirements. This however is set to change.

The first proposed change, which is due in 2025, requires all new tenancies to have a valid EPC rating of ‘C’ or above. More details on this and other landlord information can be found in our Landlord Hub.

From April 2028, this rule will be applied to all existing tenancies. The penalty for those properties that do not comply or have a valid exemption will rise, up to £30,000.

Whether your client is a British Expat, non-UK citizen resident here or even living abroad, they can still apply for funding with West One. If they are looking to purchase an additional UK property, need to raise funds across an existing UK portfolio or refinance their current secured loans, please get in touch with one of our experts.