Suffolk Building Society launches new 85% BTL mortgages

30 October 2026

Suffolk Building Society has launched a new range of 85% LTV BTL Mortgages, supporting both UK and expat landlords.

Just a handful of specialist lenders currently offer 85% LTV buy to let mortgages, and expat BTL lending at this LTV is even rarer.

The Society’s 85% LTV offering will initially comprise six products; three standard BTL and three expat BTL mortgages. Both ranges will include two-year fixed and discounted rate options, alongside a five-year fixed rate product.

Key consideration for 85% LTV borrowing

Landlords must demonstrate sufficient rental income to meet the Society’s standard Interest Coverage Ratio (ICR) requirements:

125% for nil and basic rate taxpayers
145% for higher and additional-rate taxpayers.

85% BTL mortgages are compatible with top slicing and JBSP

The Society recently introduced the option to top-slice, allowing landlords to use surplus disposable income to make up any shortfall in rental income when meeting ICR requirements. This flexibility can now be combined with its new 85% LTV mortgages, giving landlords more options when it comes to financing their properties.

To further enhance its existing proposition, JBSP is available on the 85% LTV BTL products too.

Charlotte Grimshaw, Head of Intermediaries at Suffolk Building Society, said:

“We hope this move will appeal to first-time landlords who may be struggling to save a larger deposit, despite having identified a property with strong rental potential. Equally, we expect interest from existing landlords looking to remortgage to release capital to purchase another property, fund renovations, support those who’ve inherited property or cover energy-efficiency improvements.

“Of course, lending at 85% LTV comes with responsibilities for us, so our manual underwriting will be well positioned.

"We're hugely committed to the buy to let market and hope that the steady stream of improvements and flexibility that we've introduced over recent weeks demonstrates our determination to support an even greater number of landlords and builds on our current proposition.”