Skipton International has identified three spotlights of potential interest to overseas investors in the coming year:
Spotlight One: Interest in brand new properties high due to proposed EPC requirements
The UK Government has proposed introducing stricter energy savings rates from 2025, meaning house owners will be required to renovate their properties to comply with the appropriate Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC).
“Landlords already faced with high building and labour costs will need to decide whether to sell or spend on renovation work to meet the 2025 deadline. But newer properties already comply with strict energy saving requirements so we can expect to see more buy-to-let interest in this area,” said Jim Coupe, Managing Director, Skipton International.
Spotlight Two: Student accommodation as an investment
The new EPC requirements may mean older properties put up for sale rather than the owner paying for renovations, and this presents an investment opportunity in the buy-to-let market for buyers willing to renovate.
Aaron Walden, Senior Commercial Manager, Skipton International said:
“According to Connells, the UK’s largest property agency, rental properties in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, and Newcastle rose by 12 percent from December 2021 to August 2022 and our buy-to-let mortgages in these cities increased by GBP12 million during this period.
“Students make up a sizeable portion of this market because they usually need to look at and book accommodation a full twelve months before their next academic year begins. This is one reason we are continuing to see a demand for buy-to-let mortgages in university towns.”*
Spotlight Three: Bright prospects ahead
Demonstrating a continued customer-centric approach, this year saw Skipton International refresh their mortgage and savings interest rates and introduce a new US$ savings product enabling customers to further diversify their investment portfolios.
“By offering customers new US dollar savings accounts, refreshing interest rates, and reducing minimum loan amounts, Skipton International gave customers stability, flexibility and accessibility to the UK market during a year of high volatility. How the UK economy will play out in 2023 is uncertain, but we believe that our continued customer focus will help us navigate through any challenges that may arise,” concluded Coupe.
Earlier this month, Skipton International announced unaudited interim results of Profit before Tax of GBP11.4 million for Quarter 3, first half year profits of GBP18 million and mortgage lending to the end of September 2022 was GBP334 million.
More Information and Account Opening
For more information about opening a Skipton International offshore bank account or buy-to-let mortgages, please visit www.skiptoninternational.com
*Connells is owned by Skipton Building Society.
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About Skipton International
Headquartered in Guernsey, Skipton International is a bank wholly owned by Skipton Building Society, the fourth largest building society in the UK. We are a leading offshore bank and winner of multiple awards, including the Moneyfacts ‘Best Offshore Account Provider’ award 2022.
Our aim is to help customers achieve their property owning and savings goals, by offering quality products and excellent customer service.
Skipton International offers a range of offshore savings accounts and is one of the Channel Islands’ leading mortgage lenders for residential Channel Island mortgages and UK Buy-To-Let mortgages for expats and non-UK resident nationals. It is the winner of the Moneyfacts ‘Offshore Bank Account of the Year’ award 2022, and the Mortgage Introducer ‘Top Mortgage Employer’ Award 2022.
Skipton International Limited (Skipton), registered in Guernsey: 30112, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society.
Skipton is licensed under the Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law. Skipton is a participant in the Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme. The Scheme offers protection for ‘qualifying deposits’ up to £50,000, subject to certain limitations. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any five-year period. Full details are available on the Scheme’s website www.dcs.gg or on request. To help maintain service and quality, telephone calls may be recorded and monitored.
Skipton International has a customer service rating of 4.6 / 5 according to Feefo, an independent online assessor of customer service, and is a three-times Platinum award winner as a trusted provider.
