Mortgage Express, the specialist lending brand of Bradford & Bingley, this week celebrates ten years of offering buy-to-let mortgages.

In 1996 Mortgage Express became the first lender to offer a dedicated mortgage product for buy-to-let investment, and has gone on to establish itself as the number one lender in this sector, with a reported market share of 20% of all buy-to-let mortgages.

Andrew Moss, buy-to-let product development manager at Mortgage
Express, commented: “We have increased our lending balances on buy-to-let loans
by 20% over the past year which demonstrates the continuing strength of
the buy-to-let sector. High house prices and a growing population have
meant that more people are now renting for longer, fuelling the demand for
rental property. Amateur landlords who have enjoyed success with one or
two properties now have the confidence to further increase their
portfolios.

Indeed, nearly half of our landlords say that they will look to grow
their holding this year.”
Buy-to-let lending has grown from £3.1bn in 1999 to a phenomenal
£24.5bn during 2005 and consequently, the buy-to-let sector now represents approximately 8% of total housing stock in the UK.