I’m Charles Calvert, a mortgage broker at Easy Mortgages. This is general information, not personal advice. Always check the figures against your own situation before you decide anything.
Buy to let mortgage requirements are different from residential loans. Landlords usually need to understand deposits, rental cover and stress tests before they bid on a Hampshire terrace or city flat.
After a turbulent autumn for mortgage pricing, lenders are still adjusting criteria and rates often. Treat any online rate table as a snapshot, not a personal quote.
Typical deposits
Many buy to let products start around a 25% deposit (75% LTV), though some specialist options differ. A larger deposit can improve the interest rate and give more headroom against rental stress tests. First-time landlords sometimes face tighter rules than experienced investors with a track record.
Rental cover and stress tests
Lenders check that expected rent covers a stressed interest rate by a set percentage — the interest coverage ratio (ICR). Exact stress rates and percentages vary by lender, whether you are a higher-rate taxpayer, and whether the loan sits in your personal name or a limited company. Higher stress rates mean the same rent supports a smaller loan. Always work from a realistic rent, not an optimistic portal estimate.
When mortgage pricing has jumped, stress tests bite harder. A property that looked comfortable on older rate assumptions may need a larger deposit or a lower loan now. That is maths, not a judgement on the area.
Personal name versus limited company
Some investors hold property personally; others use a limited company special purpose vehicle. Tax treatment, allowable interest relief and lender panels differ. This is high-level information only — speak to your accountant about tax, and a broker about mortgage criteria. Mixing the two conversations late in a purchase causes avoidable stress.
Hampshire context
Portsmouth student areas and Southampton commuter lets are common local examples, but every property still needs a valuation and credible rent evidence. Empty periods, service charges on leasehold flats and licensing rules in some areas all belong in the cashflow model before you offer.
Fees
Straightforward purchase or remortgage buy to let cases follow my standard fees — £495 purchase / £299 remortgage — payable once you receive a full offer. Specialist cases may be £895. Initial conversations carry no fee and no obligation.
Portfolio landlords
If you already own several mortgaged rentals, many lenders will ask for a schedule of properties, rents, balances and repayment types. They stress the portfolio as well as the new purchase. Keep a simple spreadsheet ready. Limited company portfolios have their own panels again.
Holiday lets and HMOs
Standard buy to let criteria usually assume an assured shorthold tenancy. Holiday lets, Airbnbs and houses in multiple occupation often need specialist products and local licensing checks. Say what you actually plan to do with the property before we pick a lender — switching story mid-underwriting causes declines.
Hampshire coastal and university pockets see all of these models. The mortgage question is less “is the area good?” and more “does this lender’s criteria match this use?”
A quick Hampshire checklist
Before you act on anything in this article, write down your target property price or current balance, your deposit or equity, your deal end date if you have one, and the monthly payment you could comfortably afford if rates moved again. Bring that note to a broker chat and we can turn it into live illustrations. Easy Mortgages is based in Fareham and works with clients across Gosport, Portsmouth, Southampton and the wider county.
None of the examples here are a personal recommendation. Products, criteria and tax rules change, and your credit file and income decide what is actually available. A short conversation usually clarifies more than another hour of search results.
Finally, remember that a buy to let mortgage is a business decision as well as a property one. Build a simple spreadsheet for rent, voids, maintenance, insurance, ground rent or service charges, and the mortgage payment at today’s stressed rate. If the numbers only work on perfect occupancy and last year’s rates, the deal is too tight for comfort.
Next step
Thinking about a let in Hampshire and want to know what deposit and rent combination lenders are likely to accept? Send an enquiry with the property details and we can review it.
If you would like to talk this through for your own numbers, you can get in touch here or email contact@easy-mortgages.co.uk. I am based in Fareham and help clients across Hampshire.