More than half (54%) expected to conduct more buy-to-let business in the next six months and a further third (32%) predicted business levels to remain stable.
In the last three months three in five (58%) mortgage intermediaries reported an increase in buy-to-let business, while a quarter (27%) said the market was static.
Graham Felstead, head of NatWest intermediary solutions, said: “The buy-to-let and new build sectors have both been touted as growth areas for 2015 and this sentiment has been echoed by the optimism shown by brokers in our survey.
“We have an appetite to grow our presence in both of these areas of the mortgage market, and have recently refreshed our new build proposition to offer a more attractive approach to builder’s incentives.
“The buy-to-let market is one where we have made great strides in the last couple of years. We have focused specifically on non-professional landlords with small portfolios – an area of the market where there has been significant growth and one that is expected to continue to be buoyant as more people turn to property as a viable investment alternative to traditional pension arrangements.”
With new build over half (57%) of brokers were optimistic regarding the prospects for the sector, one in six (17%) were unsure and a quarter (25%) were pessimistic.
The majority (57%) of brokers with a new build development in their area expected to write more business this year compared to last year, although one in five (21%) was unsure and 16% thought they would do less.
