Experience Invest talks about the UK property market 

Welcome to the Experience Invest blog. Experience Invest is the master agent for all of its high performing property investments. In today's post, we'll talk about the UK property market, and the buy-to-let sector, in particular. Read on to find out more.

Recent years have raised some challenges for the UK property market, and the buy-to-let sector caused by Brexit and the increased stamp duty on second homes introduced in April 2016. Investors have also had to contend with the gradual phasing out of buy-to-let mortgage interest tax relief, which is being replaced by a 20 per cent flat-rate tax credit. Despite these considerations, there are reasons to be positive about UK property and the mortgage market at the moment, one of which is the favourable interest rate environment.

RATES STAY LOW

The Bank of England made its latest monetary policy announcement at midday on Wednesday, May 2nd, confirming, as expected, that the base rate of interest would stay the same at 0.75 per cent. That means mortgage borrowers on tracker or variable-rate deals don’t have to worry about their payments going up in the short term. Furthermore, the central bank is currently anticipating just one increase in interest rates by 2021.

A BRIGHTER ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Questions about Brexit will continue to cause a degree of uncertainty in the near future, but for investors looking for opportunities in the UK, the favourable interest rate environment and positive trends in sectors such as student accommodation suggest there are still major gains to be made in the property market.

What does this mean for the property industry? For property investors, today’s announcement provides a silver lining for property investors who have experienced a wave of tax changes over the last few years. Commenting on the Bank of England’s announcement, Jerald Soils of Experience Invest said:

“It’s not surprising the Bank of England has decided to keep interest rates on hold. Since the global financial crisis, the BoE has taken a very cautious approach to the interest rates, and Brexit uncertainty has made things even more complicated. However, it is positive to note that the BoE is also more optimistic about the future growth prospects of the UK economy, demonstrating that Brexit is not undermining national productivity in the long-term."