Looking from the inside out, it’s cringe-inducing to think of how the rest of the world is currently viewing the UK’s political plight. Don’t worry, this is not going to be a political or Brexit-related rant. It’s all about perception and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world isn’t looking at the UK economy with as much disdain as we may initially think, especially when it comes to the housing and buy-to-let markets.

There has been lots of positive news around the BTL sector in recent weeks. Competition remains strong and lenders are showing a real appetite for business across many product areas. It was also interesting to see a report from Skipton International which suggested that, so far in 2019, it had already witnessed more enquiry value than it received across the whole of 2018. And, to end of August, year on year enquiry values through the lender’s online Mortgage Calculator increased by 43 per cent.

As one of many lenders who provide mortgages to British expats and foreign nationals to purchase residential BTL property in England, Wales, the Scottish mainland and the Channel Islands, this data helps to highlight the strength of demand from overseas residents in the UK BTL market – despite ongoing Brexit uncertainty. There are obvious currency considerations to take into account as the pound continues to fluctuate. However, this is balanced out by some regions of the UK offering good value and great potential for overseas investors who are able to take a wider, and maybe more longer-term view, of what remains stable housing and rental markets.

Staying with the overseas theme, it was also great to see Fleet Mortgages agree a funding partnership with asset manager One William Street Capital Management. The additional funding secured through this new deal is reported to take the amount of money the lender has to lend in the UK BTL market up to £1.4bn. Commenting on this funding line, Bob Young, chief executive officer of Fleet Mortgages, says: “It shows that we are an attractive operation for global investment players and that, even from the perspective of a New York-based business, there is plenty to be positive about in the UK buy-to-let sector and those who operate at the quality end of it.”

This is a highly encouraging announcement for the whole of the BTL sector at a time when it’s easy for some people to be overly negative and it sends out a healthy message to the international markets.

In terms of maintaining these upbeat vibes, let’s not forget that the UK property market has a proven track record, and a range of landlords, developers and investors – whether domestic or overseas – who will carry on looking beyond any economic uncertainty to realise the benefits attached to BTL. After all, where there is uncertainly, there is always opportunity and intermediaries should be tapping into this when and where they can.

Ying Tan, Founder and chief executive, Dynamo