One of the newer tactics in making money in the real estate market is to obtain a "buy to let" mortgage. A buy to let mortgage allows a borrower to purchase a piece of property with the intent of renting it out to make a profit. With said profits, the borrower intends to pay the lender back and make a profit in the process.



A buy to let operates under the simple principle of buying a property with money, under the intentions of renting it out to a third party for income. This income is then used to pay the interest on the loan, and if all goes well, the loan is paid off by the landlord and the landlord will eventually stand to see a recurring profit. It sounds great on paper, but there are indeed risks to be considered.

The first risk is the possibility of an accident. Should a natural disaster or an accident such as a fire render the property unusable, the landlord will have a tough time repaying the loan. Even with insurance, the landlord will possibly be put into debts that will be hard to get out of. Lady luck can be a hard mistress, and buy to let proponents will have to deal with her at some point or another.

A particular problem that landlords face is finding the right tenant- if even finding one at all. While it sound easy on paper to find a tenant for the entire duration of the time needed to pay the mortgage off, tenants can actually be very unpredictable. Accidents do indeed happen, and even finding a tenant that is able to make payments each month at all can be a hard task.

Defaulting on a mortgage is going to be the end of the landlord-tenant relationship, something a tenant obviously doesn't want. This means that a landlord needs to convince the tenant that the property is going to be able to be rented out for as long as they should need the premises. Otherwise, tenants will be hesitant to sign for a property that is going to be foreclosed and put back into the hands of the bank.

Location is a prime target when finding a investment in buy to let mortgages. If your target area is seldom come across, isn't situated near schools, businesses, or civilization, then there will no doubt be more resistance in finding a worthy tenant.

Final Thoughts

Risky endeavors often prove to be the most profitable, but are a poor choice when the money spent is going to be missed if it's lost. Keep in mind investing of any sort is risky, and only invest money or obtain buy to let mortgages if one is sure they will not be forced into bankruptcy if worse comes to worse.