How can I go about investing in the buy-to-let market?

Q I would like to invest in a buy-to-let rental property. I have equity of £200k in my main residence, and am prepared to remortgage, to take out anything up to £100k to invest. My current mortgage lender is happy to do this, based on my current salary.

Can I then use this for a deposit/renovation costs on a second property, with a buy-to-let mortgage based on its rental income financing the remainder?

If this is the case, presumably it's not permissible to invest in a string of properties, splitting the initial investment into small deposits, with a buy-to-let mortgage on each. Are there perhaps particular lenders who would be more likely to consider this?
MB

A Yes you can use the money raised from re-mortgaging your current property as a deposit on a second property (assuming that your current lender hasn't said that you can't use the money for this purpose, which is unlikely).

And yes, you could then get a buy-to-let mortgage based on rental income to finance the remainder. However, you need to bear in mind that all your credit commitments will be taken into account when assessing the buy-to-let mortgage application. So the mortgage that you are offered may not be as big as it would have been if you had saved up - rather than borrowed - the money for the deposit.

There is also nothing to stop you spreading the £100,000 between several properties with a buy-to-let mortgage on each, as there's no maximum on the number of buy-to-let mortgages you can have. Indeed, most lenders assume that you will have a portfolio of several properties and so multiple mortgages. However, when working out how much you can afford to invest, don't forget to factor in legal fees, stamp duty, land tax, survey fees and broker fees if you decide to use a specialist buy-to-let mortgage broker such as The Money Centre which publishes a useful free guide on the things to consider when investing in buy to let.