There are many types of mortgages available on the market and it can be confusing to know which one is right for you, so we have have outlined the basics below. To seek further advice from one of our qualified mortgage advisers, contact us today.
Repayment mortgages
With this type of mortgage, you repay part of the amount borrowed together with the interest being charged each month.
In the earlier years of your mortgage, the majority of your monthly repayment is made up of interest.
However, towards the latter part of your mortgage term, the situation is reversed and the majority of your monthly payment will deduct from the amount borrowed.
Interest-only mortgages
With this type, you are only paying interest each month. This means that although your payments will be lower, the amount you borrow will still be outstanding at the end of the mortgage term. You will need to have credible arrangements to pay off the mortgage, such as an Individual Savings Account (ISA), to avoid the property having to be sold.
Important information
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The actual amount you pay will depend upon your circumstances. The fee is up to 1%, but a typical fee is 0.3% of the amount borrowed.
Exclusive mortgage deals
We have access to exclusive deals, some of which are only available to our customers. Our expert mortgage advisers will be able to let you know what the latest exclusive deals are and whether they fit with your personal circumstances. These deals are not available anywhere else on the high street.
Buy-to-Let Mortgages
Apart from the purpose of the mortgage, the main difference with a buy-to-let mortgage is that the lender will use the rent you will receive for the property to assess affordability. Some may also take the landlord's personal income into account.
Standard Variable Rates (SVR)
With this type of rate, your payments should rise and fall in line with the Bank of England bank rate changes, but not necessarily at the same time or by the same amount.
Fixed Rates
Fixed rates give you the security of knowing that your monthly payments will always be the same. With this type of mortgage, you pay a fixed rate of interest for a set period typically over two, three or five years.
Tracker variable rates
Tracker variable rates are usually linked to the Bank of England bank rate, which means they will change in line with this.
Capped rates
With a capped rate mortgage, you will know the maximum you will pay for a set period of time. This type of mortgage offers you the option of knowing the maximum monthly repayments you would have to make during a set period of, typically, two or three years.
Discount variable rates
Allows you to benefit from a discount on the lender's standard variable rate. If the lender's standard variable rate (SVR) increases or decreases, so does the discounted rate. Typically, the shorter the discounted period the larger the discount.
Offset mortgages
Typically, a current account, savings account, or both, are linked to your mortgage and, each month, the amount in these accounts is then offset against your outstanding mortgage. You are unlikely to earn interest on your savings which are offset.
Flexible mortgages
You can vary the amount you pay each month and take payment holidays in some circumstances. It may help to reduce your mortgage with lump sum payments without incurring an early repayment charge.