Should I overpay my mortgage or save instead?
Compare your mortgage rate against your savings rate after tax, check overpayment limits and ERCs, and decide which wins for you.
How much stamp duty do first-time buyers pay?
First-time buyer stamp duty for 2026/27: nothing up to £300,000, 5% to £500,000, the relief cliff above that, and who qualifies.
What happens when my fixed rate mortgage ends?
You roll onto the SVR and the payment jumps. The three exits, the six-month timeline, and how to price each option.
How much mortgage can I get on a £40,000 salary?
The income multiples lenders actually use, what affordability checks knock off, and your realistic price range on £40k.
Should I overpay the mortgage or pay into my pension?
The maths usually favours the pension, the psychology often favours the mortgage. How to compare them honestly for your numbers.
How much deposit do I need to buy a house?
5% gets you in, 10% gets better rates. What deposits unlock at each step and how long yours will take to save.
Should I fix my mortgage for 2 or 5 years?
Certainty versus flexibility, what the rate gap between the two fixes is really pricing, and which suits your plans.
When should I start remortgaging before my fix ends?
Six months out. Why the window matters, how rate locks work, and the do-nothing cost of rolling onto the SVR.
Can I port my mortgage to a new house?
Porting moves your rate, not your loan. How re-approval works, topping up at a second rate, and when porting beats paying the ERC.
How much can I overpay my mortgage without penalty?
The usual 10% a year allowance, how lenders count it, what early repayment charges cost if you cross the line.
How much can I borrow for a mortgage?
Most lenders start at about 4.5 times income, some stretch to 5 or 5.5, but the affordability test on your outgoings usually decides the real number.
Fixed, tracker or variable: which mortgage type is right?
Fixed gives you a set payment, a tracker follows the base rate up and down, the SVR is usually the dearest, and a discount sits below it. When each one suits.
Mortgage in principle: what it is and how long it lasts
An agreement in principle is a lender's indicative yes based on a credit check, usually valid 30 to 90 days. It is not a guarantee, but you need one to make offers.
Self-employed mortgages: how many years of accounts do you need?
Most lenders want two years of accounts or SA302s, some accept one. How they assess sole traders and company directors, and how to strengthen your case.
How does a mortgage actually work? A UK beginner's guide
A plain guide to how a UK mortgage works: deposit and LTV, term, capital and interest, fixed and variable rates, repayment versus interest-only, and missed payments.
What is LTV (loan-to-value) and how do I improve it?
LTV is your loan divided by the property value. Rates get cheaper as you cross the 90, 75 and 60 percent bands. How a bigger deposit or overpayments improve it.
Shared ownership explained: is it worth it?
How buying a 25% to 75% share works, paying rent on the rest, staircasing to own more, service charges, resale rules, and when it beats renting or waiting.
Product transfer vs remortgage: which should you choose?
A product transfer keeps your lender with no legals or affordability check; a remortgage moves lender for a possibly cheaper rate. When each one wins, with the numbers.
The true cost of buying a home: conveyancing and solicitor fees
Every buying cost beyond the deposit: solicitor fees, searches, Land Registry, bank transfer, survey and stamp duty, with a rough total on a typical UK purchase.
Gifted deposits: the rules, who can gift, and the gift letter
Most lenders accept a gifted deposit from close family with a signed gift letter. The letter, the money-laundering checks, and the inheritance-tax angle explained.
Leasehold vs freehold: what's the difference?
Freehold means you own the land and building outright; leasehold means you own it for a term with ground rent, service charges and the sub-80-year lease trap.
Buying with a partner: joint tenants vs tenants in common
Joint tenants own the whole equally and it passes to the survivor; tenants in common hold defined shares that pass by will. Which suits couples, friends and unequal deposits.