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England & Wales · SRA / CLC firms

Buy-to-let conveyancing

Conveyancing on a property bought to be let rather than occupied. Lender requirements differ from residential lending, and Part 2 of the Handbook sets out what each lender expects on tenancies, licensing and permitted occupiers.

At a glance
Jurisdiction
England & Wales
Lenders covered
36
Handbook
UK Finance · Part 1 & 2

Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook is amended by lenders without notice. Check the current version before relying on any requirement described here.

What has to be in place

  1. Tenancies

    The lender will have requirements about the form of tenancy, its length, and who may occupy. Existing tenancies on a purchase have to be reported and checked against those requirements.

  2. Licensing

    Selective and additional licensing schemes are set by individual local authorities. Whether one applies is a local question and needs checking for the specific property.

  3. Leasehold restrictions

    A lease may prohibit or restrict letting. That restriction binds regardless of the mortgage product.

  4. Occupation by the borrower

    Buy-to-let terms generally exclude occupation by the borrower or their family. Where that is contemplated, it needs to be raised before completion, not after.

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All lenders and the topics covered for each →

This page is written for conveyancers and is general information rather than advice on any individual matter. Lender Monitor has no affiliation with the lenders it names, holds no endorsement from them, and is not owned by any of them; their names are reproduced only so that readers can tell which lender's requirements are under discussion.