Octane Capital has revived specialist buy-to-let lending with loans of up to £15m at up to 80 percent gross loan-to-value, reopening finance for portfolio landlords, large HMOs, multi-unit blocks and semi-commercial property.
The range is Octane’s first product launch since Aldermore acquired the lender. It includes residential portfolio loans up to £15m, HMO loans up to £3m and multi-unit block facilities up to £10m, with no stated maximum number of HMO bedrooms or block units, subject to lending criteria.
The relaunch gives landlords with property that falls outside a standard single-let case another route to test when arranging a purchase or refinance. The headline limits are not an approval promise: borrowers still need to compare the pay rate, fees, valuation, rental cover and exit plan against alternatives.
£15m limit targets specialist portfolios
Octane says the product is intended for specialist property and borrowers, including foreign nationals and portfolio landlords. Alongside larger residential portfolios, the stated scope includes semi-commercial assets and flats above commercial premises.
That makes the launch materially different from a routine rate change. A landlord refinancing a mixed or larger portfolio may be constrained by a lender’s property definition or maximum exposure before the quoted headline rate becomes relevant. Earlier this month, GB Bank raised its property lending limit to £25m for portfolio borrowers; Octane’s return adds another current example of specialist lenders competing for larger and more complex cases.
HMO finance and affordability options
For HMOs, Octane has set a loan ceiling of £3m. Multi-unit blocks can be funded up to £10m. The lender says it will allow an interest-deferral option of 1 percent a year, which can reduce the pay rate while potentially reducing the available loan-to-value.
It is also offering top slicing for eligible borrowers. Under that approach, personal income can supplement rental income for interest coverage calculations; Octane says rent need cover 90 percent of interest at the pay rate. That is a useful flexibility point for lower-yielding stock, particularly in London and the South East, but it should not be confused with a lower total borrowing cost.
Borrowers carrying out light works can self-fund refurbishment worth up to 10 percent of a property’s market value, according to the lender. Octane also says it can retain up to six months’ interest for an untenanted property, giving time for works and letting. The Octane buy-to-let product page confirms the lender’s focus on specialist affordability, foreign nationals, portfolio landlords, HMOs, multi-unit blocks and semi-commercial property.
Landlords still need to compare the full deal
Specialist underwriting can solve an eligibility problem, but landlords should check the cost of that flexibility. The 80 percent figure is a gross loan-to-value ceiling, not a universal limit, and the product includes a choice of fees. The lender has not presented one headline rate as applying across every property type or borrower profile.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on Landbay adding 11 buy-to-let trackers and cutting selected rates by 15 basis points. Landbay’s change was a pricing and product-range update, while Octane’s news is about access to specialist cases. Taken together, they show why a remortgage review needs to look beyond the cheapest standard fixed deal.
What this means for landlords
- If you own a large HMO or multi-unit block: check whether the property size and loan need fit Octane’s £3m HMO or £10m multi-unit limit before spending on a full application.
- If rental cover is tight: ask a broker how interest deferral and top slicing change the pay rate, loan-to-value and total cost, not just whether they improve affordability.
- If you are refinancing after works: confirm whether the proposed refurbishment is within the lender’s 10 percent self-funded allowance and whether interest retention is needed while the home is empty.
- Bottom line: Octane’s return broadens options for complex buy-to-let cases, but terms must be compared in full against standard and specialist rivals.
Editor’s view
Specialist lending is valuable when it deals with a real property or affordability constraint. It is less useful when a landlord looks only at a large maximum loan. The deal that works is the one whose pricing, rental-cover test and exit plan all hold together.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 29 September 2026
Sources: Octane Capital
Related reading: GB Bank raises property lending limit to £25m for portfolio borrowers
