Foundation has widened its buy-to-let range with new green, HMO, multi-unit freehold block, holiday let and expat options, giving landlords another sign that specialist lenders are still willing to compete for more complex cases.
Foundation widens specialist buy-to-let choice
The lender has added a green standard HMO product at 5.59 percent with a 4 percent fee, plus £500 cashback and no application fee for properties rated EPC A to C. It has also launched two five-year fixes for multi-unit freehold blocks and holiday lets, both with a flat £4,995 fee. The MUFB product is priced at 6.24 percent and the holiday let option at 6.34 percent.
For expat borrowers, Foundation has introduced a two-year fix in its F2 range at 6.34 percent with a 1.5 percent fee. In its F1 range, aimed at borrowers with near-clean credit, it has also added a green five-year fix at 5.49 percent with a 5 percent fee, free valuation and no application fee.
For landlords, the point is not just the headline rate. The latest additions show where lenders still see demand: shared housing, more complex blocks, holiday lets, expat borrowing and greener stock. That matters because mainstream buy-to-let pricing has steadied, but lenders are still picking their spots rather than opening the taps across the board.
Green and complex property niches still attract lender appetite
Grant Hendry, director of sales at Foundation, said the new products were designed to give brokers more choice as landlord cases become more varied and more complex. He said the lender was also seeing continued demand for expat borrowing and wanted to keep that range competitive while supporting landlords targeting more energy-efficient homes.
The move fits a broader pattern in the specialist market. Landlords have already seen lenders restore higher-LTV options and reopen selected niches as funding conditions settle. Landlord Knowledge recently reported that Suffolk Building Society had brought back 80 percent LTV buy-to-let deals, while Landbay expanded its small HMO remortgage range as lenders targeted shared housing.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s coverage of lenders reopening selected higher-yield and specialist segments rather than competing on plain-vanilla pricing alone. The latest Foundation changes add to that trend by focusing on parts of the market where landlords may still accept higher fees in return for access, flexibility or stronger rental income.
There is also a warning in the structure of these products. Several of the new options carry chunky fees, especially for MUFB and holiday let borrowing. That means the best headline deal may not be the cheapest in practice once landlords factor in loan size, rental cover tests and how long they expect to hold the debt.
Landlords comparing options should check total cost over the fixed period, not just the rate. A niche product can still make sense if it gives access to a property type or borrower profile that a mainstream lender will not take, but fee-heavy fixes can look less attractive on smaller loans.
For direct product details, Foundation’s buy-to-let product guide sets out the live range.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re financing an HMO or MUFB: specialist lender appetite is still there, but expect pricing to stay more selective than standard buy-to-let.
- If your property is EPC A to C: green products may open cheaper or more flexible routes than standard specialist options.
- Watch for: high fees that can outweigh a lower rate on smaller balances or shorter holding periods.
- If you’re an expat landlord: competition has not disappeared, but criteria and cost still need close checking.
- Bottom line: product choice is improving, but landlords still need to underwrite the full deal rather than chase the lowest headline rate.
Editor’s view
More specialist product launches are a good sign for market liquidity, but landlords should not confuse wider choice with cheaper debt. In this part of the market, fee structure and exit plans matter almost as much as the rate itself.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 4 May 2026
Sources: Foundation Lending product guide, Foundation statement
Related reading: Suffolk BS brings back 80% LTV buy-to-let deals
