Less than one in 5 landlords (17%), believe that their lenders are offering enough support and 10% have encountered problems when attempting to achieve a buy-to-let mortgage.

A massive majority of landlords - 87% - feel that the mortgage fees levied on buy-to-let loans are way over the top, the other 13% feel that the interest rates charged are OK.

The recent research that compiled these stats polled landlords, of which 70% had taken out buy-to-let mortgages in the last six months, and 19% had refinanced a loan by taking on a mortgage.

Jane Morris, managing director of the online letting agent responsible for the research, said: "Our research shows that lenders have some way to go to reassure landlords that they are supporting the buy-to-let sector.

"However, since the banking crisis of 2007, there has been a gradual increase in the availability of finance for buy-to-let landlords and the choice of mortgage products today is better than it has been for a long time.

 

"Buy-to-let lenders typically want rent to cover 125% of the mortgage repayments and many are now demanding 25% deposits, or even larger, for rates considerably above residential mortgage deals. The best rate buy-to-let mortgages also come with large arrangement fees.

"Landlords need to be cautious with mortgage fees as they can substantially push up the cost of a mortgage, especially if landlords are only fixing, or tracking for a short deal period.

"The biggest fees are typically those charged as a percentage of the loan, but even flat fees can run to £2,000."