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If you’re a real estate investor looking to grow your portfolio, you are likely aware of the difficulties of finding adequate funding. You may have had to meet stringent qualification criteria, offer individual guarantees, and contend with complex loan management issues.

Luckily, there’s a solution to the confusion. Rental portfolio loans reduce the difficulties of financing multiple rental properties by allowing you to use them as collateral for one loan. This can simplify the process of accessing streamlined capital for your investments.

In this article, we’ll go over the fundamentals of rental portfolio loans, the benefits and drawbacks, and how they can assist you in developing your rental business.

What Are Rental Portfolio Loans? 

A portfolio loan enables a single lender to provide financing for multiple rental properties at once, combining them into a single loan with a single payment. Rental portfolio loans are typically more flexible with terms than traditional or blanket loans, offering relaxed eligibility requirements and custom-tailored loan terms. These portfolio loan options are offered by private and hard money lenders, created to meet the distinctive demands of real estate investors.

Despite certain benefits, rental portfolio lenders may still implement higher interest rates, fees, or penalties to reduce risk than what you might find at a local bank. This could manifest in a rate that is higher than a bank rate.

You may want to consider a portfolio loan if you’re seeking long-term financing for multiple rental properties and looking to build a more extensive portfolio. Managing this loan type is much easier than juggling multiple loans from multiple lenders at once while potentially yielding more appealing terms.

Portfolio loans can be used for cash-out refinances or new acquisitions. This is especially helpful in competitive markets, allowing investors to acquire the assets they desire.

Benefits of Rental Portfolio Loans

After obtaining five or more rental properties, it’s beneficial to consider them collectively, as a portfolio, rather than as individual properties. Doing so can provide advantages such as increased efficiency and cost savings. Let’s examine the benefits of adding portfolio loans to your real estate investing strategy.

An easier loan origination process

A rental portfolio loan is based on the value of the assets, such as the income generated from the properties within the portfolio. In contrast, traditional lenders focus more on your creditworthiness, employment history, debt-to-income ratio, and limit the loan amount and terms according to your personal finances, even if the properties are cash cows!

A rental portfolio loan requires paperwork concerning the property itself to verify income, worth, and original cost. You don’t need to worry about an excruciating bank application and underwriting process. This helps you save valuable time and energy. 

Looser property restrictions and capital limitations

Rental portfolio loans offer much more flexibility than conventional financing, often with no limits on the number of assets or capital a borrower can access.

Rental portfolio lenders allow you to manage your investment holdings, enabling expansion beyond what traditional lenders make possible. They generally don’t limit the number of properties you can finance and often don’t require that the properties meet stringent minimum condition standards. It’s a perfect choice if you acquire distressed properties requiring more substantial rehabs.

Higher leverage and interest-only options

When using a standard banking institution or lender, there are usually stringent limitations on the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. However, with a rental portfolio loan, it is often possible to have a higher LTV—as much as 75%—in certain circumstances. Plus, these loans often offer the possibility of making interest-only payments, in which you won’t pay any principal payments on the loan. The money saved early on in the loan may be useful if you want to can increase cash flow on the project and cash-on-cash returns as a result. 

With a rental portfolio loan, you can combine all your rental properties into one loan and make one payment each month, simplifying the process of dealing with multiple payments to potentially multiple lenders. This eliminates extra stress (as a busy landlord, you have enough of that), allowing you to use your time more efficiently and focus more of your bandwidth on growing your business.

One monthly payment can help help you save money. A lending partner who offers portfolio loans can help you craft a loan with financial benefits compared to individual rental properties. You can establish a lasting relationship with a single point of contact instead of several different bankers across various loans. It’s helpful to work with a lending partner who can provide the best quotes and help simplify the due diligence process.

Options That Meet The Unique Needs of Real Estate Investors

A rental portfolio loan typically comes with terms of five, seven, 10, or even up to 30 years and allows you to refinance or cash out an existing portfolio of properties to use that money to continue expanding your real estate empire. 

When refinancing or cashing out, you should anticipate a loan-to-value ratio of approximately 75% and 70%, respectively. Keep in mind that some lenders may require the property to be held for a certain time, usually from 3-9 months—this is called a seasoning period. With rental portfolio loans, you only need to manage a single loan payment for multiple properties.

Finding a Lender

If you want a rental portfolio loan, the initial step is to search for a lender. It is necessary to compare multiple lenders and inquire about the interest rates, fees, and requirements associated with the loan before choosing one.

If you already have a connection with a lending partner, ask if they provide rental portfolio loans. Your current or former relationship may make them more likely to assist you. Also, seek advice from a qualified property financing specialist, preferably someone experienced in working with real estate investors, to help you understand which loan option is the best for you.

Final Thoughts

Real estate investors who may not be eligible for conventional bank financing could find portfolio loans to be quite beneficial. They feature more lenient lending criteria and may offer more attractive loan terms. This type of loan can be a great option for those wishing to expand their rental business. The first step is to find a lender you can rely on to get the best terms and provide expert advice on the best financing strategies necessary to develop your rental business.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.