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What is Consent to let?
Last verified 31 October 2026
Consent to let is the permission a mortgage lender gives a borrower to rent out a home that is financed with an ordinary residential mortgage. Without it, letting the property may breach the mortgage terms.
Why it matters to landlords
GOV.UK guidance on letting rooms in your home says it is in practice essential to get the mortgage lender's agreement before letting, or you risk breaching your mortgage terms. It adds that insurance premiums are very likely to rise once someone else lives in the home, so check both buildings and contents cover and extend it if the policy will not cover a let.
If you are a long leaseholder, the same guidance says to check the lease and, if necessary, get the freeholder's agreement first. That guide dates from 2009 and was written for letting rooms, so treat it as a prompt and ask your own lender, insurer and freeholder what they require. Get any consent in writing and ask whether it carries conditions, such as a time limit. Some landlords later move to a buy-to-let mortgage instead.
Example
Aisha moves for work in March 2027 and wants to let her flat, which has an £85,000 residential mortgage. Before advertising it she writes to the lender, asks for consent in writing, and tells her insurer. She also checks her lease for any rule on letting. Only then does she sign a tenancy agreement.
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