Buy-to-let

All is not lost, writes Sheriar Bradbury

A fast-growing peer-to-peer (P2P) buy-to-let product will appeal to investors but adviser knowledge on the subject is lagging and caution advised, according to senior consultant Brendan Llewellyn.

The FSA has temporarily shut the sale and rent back (SRB) market after a review found most transactions were either unaffordable or unsuitable and should not have been sold at all.

Abbey for Intermediaries has revealed plans to distribute all of its core retail financial products through brokers and confirmed its much-speculated entry into the buy-to-let sector.

Nationals round-up: Star fund managers were under the microscope while RPI-linked bonds made a return. There was also a closer look at inheritance tax and the buy-to-let market.

Three men, including a financial adviser and an estate agent, have confessed their involvement in a buy-to-let property scam worth more than £1m.

Dev Malle, sales and marketing director at Personal Touch Financial Services, discusses why buy-to-let has become such an important part of the UK market.

Landlords saw a 7.6% annual return on their investments by the end of December 2009, according to the latest index from LSL Property Services.

Next year is likely to present an even greater challenge for the private rented sector (PRS) than seen in 2009, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).