HMO Finance Rates The lender's willingness to consider your individual circumstances (e.g., your experience and the location) will affect the rate of interest that you are charged.
What is a HMO? A house in multiple occupation (HMO), is any property that is shared with three or more people. You don't need to be a licensed landlord to manage a standard HMO with less than four occupants. There are specific mortgage requirements for HMOs, however, that differ from buy-to�let mortgages for whole property tenancies.
HMOs have higher operating costs, and often require more work and time. HMOs require that each room be secured and have safety and health guidelines that are much more thorough than regular buy to lets. HMOs will have higher setup costs than regular buy-to-let.
Mortgages to buy-to-let are often less expensive in terms of fees and rates. There are also more lenders offering them. Because the criteria isn't as stringent, they are easier to get. An HMO will often make additional profit on top of the mortgage.
How much does it cost for an HMO licence to be obtained? Costs for obtaining an HMO license vary by area. Some councils will charge for the number of bedrooms, while others will charge a fixed fee. These fees can vary from a couple hundred pounds to over a hundred. Lenders know the time required to issue a licence. Therefore, they may accept proof when underwriting a mortgage. Being prepared ahead of time will help avoid any delays.
HMOs: Why should you invest? - There are fewer "impactful gaps" between tenants: The gap between tenants for a single occupancy property can be as low as a month. This allows for repairs, redecorating, and viewings without rent coming in. An HMO allows you to reduce your losses by renting from the remaining tenants. You may also be able to deduct more costs than with a standard BTL.
HMOs do not always generate the same rental income as buy-to-let properties. Remember that utilities bills are often paid by landlords. With the above example, even with an annual PS2k-3k utility bill, there's still a lot of rental profit.