Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Reportdata has revealed that the number of buy-to-let (BTL) products available, currently 2,396, is the highest on record since the beginnings of the financial crisis in October 2007, when the total number of available products stood at 3,305. Since June 2018, the total number of available BTL products has increased by 21%, and in the past month alone it has risen by 143 products, from 2,253 to 2,396.

Meanwhile, average BTL mortgage rates have also risen over the past 12 months, with the average two-year BTL fixed rate mortgage increasing by 0.17% from 2.88% in June 2018 to 3.05% this month, while the average five-year BTL fixed rate has risen by 0.11% to stand at 3.54% (June 2018: 3.43%). Both rates still stand significantly lower than in October 2007 however, when the average two-year BTL fixed rate stood at 6.36% while its five-year counterpart stood at 6.39%.

Darren Cook at Moneyfacts, said: “The BTL market has experienced a number of regulatory changes during recent years. However, it seems that product competition within this specialised mortgage area is continuing to grow. A 21% increase in availability to 2,396 products over the past 12 months indicates that providers are keen to offer potential BTL investors plenty of choice within the sector.”