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Usually yes, but only if you ask your lender first. Letting a property that has a residential mortgage on it, without telling the lender, breaches your mortgage terms. What you normally need is either consent to let, which is permission to let while staying on your existing residential mortgage, or a move onto a buy to let or consumer buy to let mortgage. Which one suits depends on how long you intend to let it and what you want to do with the mortgage in the meantime.
What happens if you let your home without telling your lender?
You are in breach of contract. In practice lenders rarely find out immediately, which is why people take the risk, but the consequences when they do are not trivial. A lender can ask you to repay the mortgage, move you to a different rate, or refuse to help when you next want to borrow. Your buildings and contents insurance is a separate problem, because a residential policy is usually not valid once the property is let, so a claim could be declined at the worst possible moment.
The odd thing is that asking is usually easy. Lenders deal with this every day and refusal is not the normal outcome. The risk people take is almost always unnecessary.
Letting a home with a residential mortgage on it, without telling the lender, breaches your mortgage terms.
Consent to let is permission from your existing lender, not a product you shop around for.
Some lenders add a margin to your rate for the period the property is let.
Some lenders block a rate switch, extra borrowing or a term change while the property is let.
A residential buildings and contents policy is usually not valid once the property is let.
What is consent to let, and who gives it?
Consent to let is permission from your existing lender to let the property while the mortgage stays as it is. It is not a product you apply for on the open market, it is a decision your own lender makes, and the terms vary a great deal between lenders. Some grant it for a defined period. Some grant it open-endedly until you tell them the letting has stopped. Some charge a fee, and some add a margin to your interest rate for as long as the property is let.
What do lenders usually ask before they say yes?
Common conditions include having held the mortgage for a minimum period, often six months, all borrowers agreeing, the property being let on a proper tenancy rather than informally, and the letting being temporary rather than a permanent change of use. Some ask why you are letting. A relocation, a relationship, or a property that will not sell are all normal answers.
Does consent to let change what you pay?
It can. One large lender adds 0.5% to the interest rate for the period the property is let. Others charge an administration fee instead, and some charge nothing at all. It is worth knowing the number before you decide, because it feeds directly into whether staying put or moving to a buy to let mortgage is the cheaper route.
Can you still switch to a new mortgage deal while your home is let?
This is the question almost nobody asks, and it is the one that costs the most money. Some lenders restrict what you can do while the property is let. One publishes terms saying that during the letting period you cannot switch your mortgage deal, take additional borrowing, complete a term change, add or remove a borrower, or change your repayment method. Another allows a rate switch but only over the phone.
Think about what that means if your fixed rate ends while the property is let. If your lender will not let you switch, you roll onto the reversion rate and stay there. On a normal sized mortgage that can cost far more than the difference between consent to let and a buy to let mortgage would ever have done. So before you accept consent to let, find out two things: when your current rate ends, and whether you are allowed to do anything about it while the property is let.
When does a lender expect you to move to a buy to let mortgage instead?
Broadly, when the letting stops being temporary. If you have moved permanently, if you are buying elsewhere, or if the property is now simply an investment you intend to keep, most lenders expect the mortgage to reflect that. That is the point at which a buy to let mortgage becomes the right conversation rather than a permission on the old one.
Speak to an expert
Not sure whether you need consent to let or a new mortgage? Call me on 01425 203055 or email info@htgmortgages.com. Working out where you stand costs nothing.
What is a consumer buy to let, and why might yours be one?
If you do move to a buy to let mortgage on a home you used to live in, it will often be a consumer buy to let rather than a standard investment one. That is the FCA regulated corner of buy to let, and it exists precisely for people who became landlords by circumstance rather than by plan. It is not decided by your preference or by signing a declaration. It is decided by the substance of what you are doing, which is why it is worth getting a view on it early. There is more on the mechanics in my guide to how a buy to let remortgage works.
What does the Renters’ Rights Act change if you plan to move back in?
Quite a lot, and it is easy to miss. Since 1 May 2026 you cannot grant a tenancy with a fixed end date, and you cannot use the ground for moving back into your own home until the tenant has been there twelve months, with four months’ notice on top. So a plan to let for a year and then return is no longer as simple as it sounds. I have written that up separately in renting out your home and moving back in.
Who should you talk to first, your lender or a broker?
Either, but a lender can only tell you what that lender will do. It cannot compare its own consent to let terms with what a different lender would offer you on a buy to let mortgage, and it will not tell you if staying put is going to trap you on a reversion rate next year. That comparison is the useful part. I am a mortgage broker in Winchester, I look at more than 120 lenders, and if the right answer is that you should stay exactly where you are, I will tell you that. Start with the buy to let hub if you want to read around it first. Information correct as at August 2026. This is general information rather than advice on your own situation.
The rules are stricter again if your home is shared ownership rather than fully owned; I cover that separately in can you rent out a shared ownership property. And if you are leaning towards selling with tenants in place instead of letting, my guide to selling a tenanted property sets out your two routes since May 2026.
If the letting has become permanent rather than a phase, the next step is usually a full switch, covered in my guide to changing your mortgage to a buy to let.
And if you never planned any of this, my accidental landlord guide puts the whole to-do list in order.
Related reading: the accidental landlord, switching your mortgage to a buy to let, mortgages for Airbnb lets and renting out a shared ownership property.
Need Personal Mortgage Advice?
Every buyer’s situation is different. While this guide explains the general rules, the right mortgage for you depends on your income, deposit, credit history and future plans. If you’d like tailored advice, I’m here to help, with whole-of-market coverage.
