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Buy to let

Here at Winston Solicitors, we can act for you if you decide to buy property for investment purposes.

How to plan your buy to let purchase

You will need to plan your buy to let purchase carefully. This will involve:

Ask friends or colleagues to recommend a mortgage broker or financial advisor or contact your bank or building society directly. They should be able to discuss the affordable options with you and help you choose the best mortgage to suit you. 

You will be liable to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax at the higher rate if you will own more than one property on completion. Your conveyancer will complete the Land Transaction Return (Stamp Duty Land Tax Form) for you to sign, based on the information that you provide. If you think that you do not need to pay the higher rate, you should obtain specialist tax advice from an accountant or financial advisor.
You should also ask your accountant or financial advisor to provide income tax advice and capital gains tax advice. 

Think carefully before choosing a property to invest in. Would you prefer a newer property or an older property? An older property might give you the opportunity to add more value. 
If the property is let, or is going to be let, to more than three people who are not from the same family, it will be a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). You will need to comply with all the rules and regulations relating to HMOs. Some lenders will not lend on HMOs.

Your lender will impose additional “Buy to Let” conditions, which will include conditions relating to the type of tenancy agreement and the nature of the tenant. For example, some lenders will not lend on HMOs (see above) or on student lets, and many lenders will require short term assured shorthold tenancy agreements. You should check your lender’s requirements with your mortgage broker/financial advisor or your lender.

Ask friends or colleagues to recommend a surveyor. Your surveyor will be able to carry out a survey and tell you how much rent the property is likely to yield.

  • Any existing tenancy agreement must comply with the lender’s requirements. Any deposit paid by the tenant must be registered with an approved deposit protection scheme.
  • Up to date gas certificates and electrical certificates must be supplied.
  • All other relevant rules and regulations must be complied with.
  • Your conveyancer will raise appropriate tenancy enquiries and will discuss the replies with you. 

You will need to budget for all the costs and fees relating to your investment purchase, including your survey fees, mortgage broker’s fees (if any), buy to let property insurance, legal fees and stamp duty land tax. 

Speak to family, friends and colleagues, to see if they can recommend a good conveyancer. You need to have confidence in your conveyancer. A good conveyancer will ensure that the process is as smooth as possible but will also raise all necessary enquiries. The process will involve form filling, document signing, telephone calls and emails.

You will be speaking to your conveyancer a lot during the process. Your conveyancer will be able to reassure you and address any concerns that you have.

When you are purchasing a property it is advisable to make or update your will to ensure any assets in your estate are distributed as you choose.

Ask for a free conveyancing quote by calling our conveyancing team on 0113 320 5000.

Client feedback

Thank you for everything ! Excellent service & a pleasure to deal with. Would highly recommend. - July 2025
A Woodhead, Bradford
Thanks for your help, friendliness clear and prompt communication, it gave us confidence and helped the legal aspect of our process feel in a safe pair of hands. - July 2025
L Whitaker, Leeds
Overall, the service we have received has been excellent. We would highly recommend you to others. We will definitely use you again. - July 2025
D Wilkinson, Leeds
I decided to use Winston Solicitors's by recommendation from a work colleague who was impressed by their service. I was selling and buying a property and the the whole process was extremely efficient, and not at all as stressful as I had imagined it to be. Emails were quickly responded to and any queries by phone were answered straight away. Big thanks to Leasa and the team for their excellent service.
Anonymous
Tom and Sidra were both super helpful and avaialble at all times, competent and always there to address any concerns I had ,really enjoyed working with them both and would recommned them to my firends and family - March 2025
S Khan, Leeds
I am incredibly grateful and impressed to Jeremy Conway for his exceptional support. He was very responsive to my queries and always explained the legal process clearly. I am very happy with the service Winston Solicitors provided and definitely recommend. - July 2025
Francis K, Leeds
Michelle Ayres was absolutely brilliant from initial quotation to final completion of my house sale. She always got back to me promptly, addressed all my concerns and made selling my house really straightforward. I really liked the sales process online portal you provide too. Im very impressed with Winston Solicitors and will highly recommend in future. - July 2025
Alexander H, Leeds
Both Sidraa and Tom have been extremely helpful throughout this whole process. We both feel that we have been very well informed over the course of this process. We also appreciate the support we have had regarding any queries. - June
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