From Pensioner to Landlord
16 Jul 2015

This month, the UK pension system will undergo its most radical changes in a century.

Instead of being forced to buy an annuity to provide them with a guaranteed income for life, retirees from fifty-five years and above will be able to choose how to spend the money they’ve accrued in their pensions.

According to recent Ipsos Mori research, around 200,000 people will opt to cash in their pension as soon as they can, and of those around 32,000 are expected to invest their cash in property.

Andrew Reynold is sales and marketing director at Linden Homes Southern: “In a bid to help buyers out there who may be considering investment opportunities in the area, we have partnered with Leaders to make that proposition easy to understand and help guide through the process.”

Matt Derry is the regional director for Leaders, the lettings experts in Hampshire and Dorset who are working in conjunction with Linden Homes at its developments in Horndean (The Old Brewery) and Waterlooville (St Michael’s Place).

“There will be thousands of people who, for the first time, will be considering becoming a landlord and may be looking closely at buy to let as a possible option for their pension pot. For those pensioners who wish to fund a buy-to-let with part cash and part mortgage, the outlook is positive. We are currently seeing the lowest buy-to-let mortgage rates ever recorded as a result of increased competition from mortgage providers.”

But some pensioners may be concerned about what is involved in becoming a landlord.

Matt Derry says a fully managed lettings service is a good solution:

“Landlords need to be aware of the many rules and regulations which must be complied with to ensure they are letting safely and legally. After a long working life, they may not want the hassle that can be associated with being a landlord. With a fully managed lettings service, they won’t keep receiving maintenance calls from tenants; they won’t need to personally check the property or worry about inventories or rental payments.”

Matt says that an additional reassurance comes when the buy to let property is a new build:

“New build homes, like those at The Old Brewery and St Michael’s Place, are popular with tenants and tend to let quickly at premium rent. Maintenance issues are likely to be negligible too – and most new build homes come with a warranty covering maintenance issues.”

Linden Homes currently has a range of extremely well located homes available in Waterlooville and Horndean. Both are excellently situated for commuters travelling to Portsmouth, Southampton and London. Prospective landlords and landladies can choose from two, three and four bedroom houses or apartments.

St Michael’s Place in Waterlooville is situated in the heart of the town, yet set back from the road down a quiet, landscaped driveway. It has four bedroom houses and the newly released refurbished apartments (which have been created within the old grade II listed convent building, Claydon House).

The Old Brewery is located in the village of Horndean and has a selection of refurbished new apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses. The homes have been built on the site of the old Gale and Co Brewery in the heart of this traditional Hampshire village.

For more information on The Old Brewery at Horndean, please call 0844 488 3119.

For details of the homes available at St Michael’s Place in Waterlooville please call 0844 488 3005. Both developments have sales and marketing suites, both of which are open daily from 10am to 5pm (4pm on Friday). Alternatively you can find out more on the Linden Homes’ website.

-ENDS-

Media can contact Claire Cathersides or Emma Cox at Remarkable Group on 01962 893893 for more information, images and interviews with Linden Homes.