The Intermediary – September 2025 - Flipbook - Page 8
From the editor. . .
aving had to force my way
across London Bridge recently
in the face of gale force winds,
watching tourists struggle to
keep their phones alo and bike
deliveries risk being blown into
the Thames, I’m struggling to stop myself from
turning this editor’s comment into yet another
weather metaphor.
You’ll forgive me for seeing the parallels,
considering that at the same time as the
clouds roll in and the atmosphere becomes
unpredictable, we’re turning our Special Focus
eye once again to the buy-to-let market, and the
brokers, landlords and lenders working to keep
it steady.
While casting about for something more
interesting with which to compare – or send up
– the ever-present market turbulence, my mind
kept alighting on things like global conflict, antiimmigration protests, political instability, and
of course, the universal reality of our nervous
anticipation around the announcement of the
next Bacheloree.
Perhaps aer all we should, like good Brits,
avoid all the other unpleasantness and stick to
the weather.
The biggest rumblings for this market,
of course, have arisen around the subject of
National Insurance being applied to rental
income. It’s not even confirmed yet, and this
already has the market in a tailspin.
Meanwhile, we’re waiting for the Building
Safety Act, Minimum Energy Efficiency
H
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Standards and Energy Performance Certificate
rules, the Renters’ Rights Bill and more to cause
their own upset in the months to come.
In a market where brokers are relied upon
to provide clear answers to borrowers in
increasingly complex circumstances, there’s a
concerning amount of ‘ask again later’ coming
up on market’s the Magic 8 Ball. No wonder
experts are seeing a stalling of confidence among
property investors as we wait for the Budget,
the regulator, the Government, and anyone else
lined up to take a shot at the buy-to-let market.
It’s important to remember, though, that
stalling is temporary. Landlords may be more
wary around making new investments, and
rightly so, but despite all this the buy-tolet lending sector perseveres. This includes
adapting products, introducing new processes,
and growing the lending market in line
with the increased professionalism of the
borrower cohort.
Landlords face rising costs and heavy
compliance demands, but tenant demand is
not going anywhere, and the private rented
sector remains essential to the UK, from its
contribution to the economy to its support for
renters and prospective first-time buyers.
While the market may still be in the
Government’s crosshairs as we head towards the
end of the year, there are plenty of opportunities
to be found within our pages. ●
Jessica Bird
@jess_jbird
@IntermediaryUK
Contributors
The Team
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BUY-TO-LET
FOCUS ISSUE
INTERVIEW ⬛ The Mortgage
Works on giving landlords a
voice in a changing market
OPINION ⬛ Metro Bank,
Together, Landbay, Redwood,
Molo, Paragon and more
The
Intermediary.
www.theintermediary.co.uk | Issue 32 | September 2025 | £6
Jessica Bird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Editor
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Navigating the future of green buy-to-let
Copyright © 2025 The Intermediary
Cartoons by Giles Pilbrow
Cover illustration by Eduardo Luzzatti
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