Legal & General Mortgage Club has reported increasing demand among first-time buyers who want to enter the buy-to-let market.

Searches through its SmartrCriteria tool, which helps advisers to determine which lenders would consider a particular mortgage applicant, shows that the criteria search combination for first-time buyer, first-time landlord and non-owner occupier has seen an 18% increase since the beginning of September. Searches for these applicants with these circumstances ultimately rose from fourth to first place.

The data also showed that ‘holiday lets’ (such as AirBnB style ventures) was the second most searched term among advisers in September, moving from the top spot in August. International travel restrictions have fuelled an increase in demand for ‘staycations’, with many choosing to holiday in the UK rather than travelling abroad.  Legal & General Mortgage Club’s latest findings show many first-time property investors are looking to purchase buy to let properties in response to the trend.

SmartrCriteria figures also revealed a jump in the numbers of advisers searching for products on behalf of expatriated clients. Search criteria for ‘Expat not in UK’ increased by 50% since the beginning of September, with the majority of searches looking for buy-to-let mortgages. These search criteria findings reveal continued interest from foreign buyers, which have been increasing over the past several months, as overseas buyers look to benefit from the current Stamp Duty holiday which ends on 31 March, 2021.

Kevin Roberts, director of Legal & General Mortgage Club, said: “Despite the impact of coronavirus, we are seeing rising demand across the housing market with buy-to-let in particular enjoying a mini-boom. Our latest findings from SmartrCriteria suggest a growing number of first-time buyers are searching for mortgages for buy-to-let ventures, including those engaging with the growing trend towards staycations this year.

“Amidst this continued high demand we are seeing in the mortgage market, thousands of borrowers are clearly turning to independent advisers to help them with their plans and these experts are playing a vital role for consumers. There have been thousands of criteria changes since the lockdown and mortgage advisers are supporting seasoned property investors, first-time landlords and other buyers to find lenders and products that meet their needs.”