News & Insight

Our expert views and commentary on what’s happening in the world of mortgages and sometimes beyond, along with our regular summary of what the papers say.

How do cashback mortgages work?

Increasing numbers of lenders are offering cashback to encourage borrowers to sign up to their mortgages, but it’s vital to look at the overall cost of any deal before committing. ...

Could 99% mortgages be on the cards?

The Government is reportedly considering introducing 99% mortgages to help boost the number of first-time buyers getting onto the property ladder. ...

Could a 100% mortgage be right for you?

Skipton Building Society has launched a 100% mortgage which allows first-time buyers to purchase a home without a deposit, using their rental history to boost affordability. ...

Green mortgage options increase

Borrowers wanting green mortgages have a growing number of options to choose from, with lenders recognising the Government’s push for homes to be made more energy efficient. ...

Mortgage Guarantee Scheme extended for a year

Homebuyers with small deposits have an extra year to use the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, after the Government announced it has been extended until December 2023. ...

SVR Watch June 22

The Bank of England has increased base rate to 1.25%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise. ...

Nine mortgage myths busted

We've de-bunked nine of the most common mortgage myths that might be putting you off and explain what the real facts are. ...

Fifth consecutive rise for interest rates

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the base rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25% in June, the first time it has exceeded 1% for 13 years. ...

SVR Watch February 2022

The Bank of England has increased base rate from 0.25% to 0.50%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise, so you can see whether yours has increased its Standard Variable Rate. ...

Bank of England raises interest rates

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has voted by a majority of 8-1 to raise the base rate to 0.25%, providing little festive cheer to homeowners. ...

Home mover numbers reach record high

The number of home moves in the UK reached its highest level in 14 years in the first half of 2021, with more than 265,000 people moving to a new property. ...

Mortgage rates fall to historic lows

Rock bottom mortgage rates mean that borrowers can now choose from a wide range of two-year fixed rate mortgages at less than 1%, or five-year fixed rate mortgages at just over 1%. ...

Home movers overtake first time buyers

Nearly half of all mortgage lending made in the first three months of this year went to home movers , according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the highest share since records began. ...

Rise in new homes receiving top energy efficiency grades

More than four out of every five new homes completed in England and Wales in the final quarter of last year achieved one of the top highest energy efficiency ratings, according to latest Government data. ...

Stamp duty holiday extension

The stamp duty holiday has been extended until the end of June, benefiting thousands of homeowners who were at risk of missing the original deadline of 31st March. ...

Base rate held but negative rates possible

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to leave the base rate unchanged at 0.1% in February but didn’t rule out rates falling below zero in future. ...

Your seven-step moving home checklist

There’s no escaping the fact that moving house can be stressful, but a bit of careful planning will help make the process less painful. ...

New year, new house? Get ready with our top tips

Is moving house one of your New Year’s resolutions? If so, check out our list of do’s and don’ts to get your home ready for viewing and see if you can get the best possible price. ...

New Help to Buy scheme for 2021-2023

The current Help to Buy scheme will be replaced by a new scheme in April, which will only be available to first-time buyers and will impose regional price caps on eligible properties. ...

Price boost for homes in new national parks

Homeowners with properties situated within one of the government’s proposed new national parks could see their homes increase in value by as much as 20%, according to a new report. ...

Market update November 2020

It’s been another busy month for the mortgage market, with house price growth showing no sign of slowing. ...

Property activity continues to rise in October

Demand from property buyers showed no signs of slowing in October, pushing up house prices across all parts of the UK, according to the latest RICS UK Residential survey. ...

House prices climb to all-time high

House prices reached a record high in August according to Nationwide, cancelling out the losses seen in May and June. ...

Fixed mortgage rates start to rise

Homebuyers and those looking to remortgage who want the security of a fixed rate deal may want to act sooner rather than later, as rates have started to tick up in recent weeks. ...

Government reveals affordable housing plans

New homes and planning reforms have been pledged by the government in a bid to “build better homes where people want to live” and boost the UK’s economic recovery post-coronavirus. ...

Base rate held at 0.1% in August

The Bank of England left the base rate unchanged at 0.1% in August to support the economy’s recovery from the impact of coronavirus. ...

Shake-up of leasehold system proposed

Homeowners with leasehold properties could find it easier to buy the freehold or extend their leases, under changes to the leasehold system proposed by the Law Commission....

Stamp Duty Boost for Homebuyers

On 8th July Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a major tax cut for home buyers, with a temporary waiver of Stamp Duty Land Tax for all properties valued up to £500,000. ...

Mortgage payment holiday scheme extended

Homeowners who have taken mortgage payment holidays to help them weather the financial impact of coronavirus may be able to extend their breaks by three months, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed. ...

Mortgage market update - Lenders re-introduce deals

Now that the property market has restarted again, lenders are busy working through the backlog of mortgage applications they put on hold when physical valuations had to cease during lockdown. ...

Property market re-opens for business

Thousands of homebuyers who had to put their moves on hold when the country went into lockdown at the end of March can now proceed with their plans ...

Mortgage market update - What happens next?

Recent weeks have proved a rollercoaster ride for the mortgage market, with several lenders withdrawing products and then expanding their ranges. But what next for the mortgage market? ...

House price growth up 3.7% pre-pandemic

Annual house price growth rose by 3.7% in April, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index, the highest rate of annual growth for more than two years. ...

SVR Watch - March 2020

The Bank of England reduced base rate by 0.50% to 0.25% on March 11th and then cut further to 0.10% on the 19th. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to these cuts....

Home-movers advised to delay plans

Home-movers are being advised by the Government to put their plans on hold wherever possible whilst measures are in place to fight coronavirus. ...

Base rate cut to record low

The Bank of England cut the base rate again on Thursday to just 0.1%, its lowest ever level, in a bid to support the economy during the coronavirus crisis. ...

Nationwide to offer interest-only mortgages

Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, will soon re-enter the interest-only mortgage market - but only high earners will be eligible. ...

Budget 2020: How it affects the property market

Although much of this week’s Budget speech focused on measures to protect people and businesses from the economic impact of the coronavirus, there were several announcements on property. ...

Housing market update

A New Homes Ombudsman, Help to Buy numbers, leasehold reforms and house prices ...

Overpaying your mortgage

Paying off your mortgage early is a pretty appealing prospect for most people, so it’s little wonder that many of us plough any cash we don’t have an immediate need for back into our homes. ...

Should you say ‘I do’ to a joint mortgage?

With Valentine’s Day around the corner you might be starting to feel a bit romantic. Perhaps you’re thinking about moving in with your partner, or even popping the question? There’s a practical consideration you’ll want to think about before you make the big commitment of living together: How will the mortgage work?...

What are YOUR 2020 mortgage resolutions?

After all that festive spending, the New Year is the ideal time to review your finances and look at ways you might be able to save money in 2020. ...

Shared ownership boost for lower earners

Thousands of lower earners will be given the opportunity to get onto the property ladder under plans for a new model of shared ownership announced by the Government. ...

Is your self-employed paperwork up to date?

There are nearly 5m self-employed workers in the UK but getting a mortgage if you work for yourself can be tricky if you don’t have the right paperwork in place. ...

Top first-time buyer misconceptions revealed

More than half of first-time buyers (57%) believe they’d be able to borrow up to 10 times’ their income when they take out a mortgage, according to new research. ...

Demand for long-term fixed rate mortgages grows

Homebuyers and owners wanting the security of a long-term fixed rate mortgage now have a much wider range of options to choose from following the launch of several new 15-year deals. ...

Uncertainty causes mortgage market slowdown

First-time buyer and homemover mortgage numbers dropped slightly in June, with many people putting their plans on hold due to current political and economic uncertainty. ...

Number of Help to Buy loans up by 9%

The number of homes purchased using Help to Buy increased by 9% in the year to the end of March 2019, with 52,404 properties bought using the scheme over this period. ...

Interest rates unchanged in August

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the base rate at 0.75% in August amid ongoing Brexit uncertainty. ...

Can you get a mortgage if you work for yourself?

Despite recent reports that self-employed people often believe they’d struggle to get a mortgage, being your own boss won’t necessarily make it harder to get on the property ladder. ...

Leaseholds axed for all new houses

All new build homes should be sold on a freehold basis in future, in a bid to tackle unfair and exploitative leasehold practices, the government announced in recent weeks. ...

Longer term mortgages on the rise

More than 28,000 mortgages running for 35 years or more were approved in 2017, according to data from the Financial Conduct Authority, with a growing number of lenders now offering terms of up to 40 years. ...

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