Mortgage guides & articles
Choose the resource library that fits you: buyer guides for getting a mortgage, or broker resources on software, AI, admin and growth.
I'm looking for a mortgage
In-depth, plain-English guides on mortgages, brokers, advisers and buying a home. 49 guides, each researched and reviewed by our editorial team.
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See broker roadmapFirst-time buyers
Deposits, affordability and getting on the ladder
9 articles
6 min read
First-time buyer? A plain-English mortgage guide
The whole first-time buyer journey in order: deposit, affordability, agreement in principle, application, valuation, mortgage offer and completion, with real numbers and typical timescales.
5 min read
How to build a mortgage deposit faster
Practical ways to get a deposit together sooner: Lifetime ISA versus regular savers, family gifts, guarantor and joint borrower sole proprietor mortgages, with worked timelines and numbers.
6 min read
Gifted deposits and mortgages: rules and paperwork
What lenders and conveyancers actually require when a family member gifts your deposit: the gift letter, donor ID, source of funds evidence, non-repayable declarations, and where inheritance tax fits in.
5 min read
Using a Lifetime ISA to buy your first home
How the Lifetime ISA works for a first property: the 25% bonus, the 450,000 pound price cap, the 12-month rule, the withdrawal charge, and how it compares with saving into a pension.
6 min read
Help to Buy is gone: what first-time buyers use instead
The Help to Buy equity loan closed to new applicants in England in 2023. Here is an honest comparison of what replaced it: 95% mortgages, shared ownership, First Homes, deposit unlock, Lifetime ISAs and family-assisted lending.
6 min read
Shared ownership mortgages: how they really work
Share size, rent, service charges, staircasing maths, nomination periods and the honest downsides of shared ownership, with worked monthly costs on a 250,000 pound home.
5 min read
Does a mortgage in principle include your deposit?
Your mortgage in principle shows what a lender might lend, not your total budget. How to work out your purchase price ceiling and how deposits get evidenced.
6 min read
New build mortgages: rates, deposits and pitfalls
How mortgage offer expiry dates collide with new build completion, why lenders cap developer incentives, which warranties are accepted, and what to watch on valuations, flats and snagging.
6 min read
Right to Buy mortgages: deposits, discounts and lender checks
How Right to Buy mortgages work: using the discount as your deposit, which lenders accept it, the discount repayment period if you sell early, lease length on ex-council flats, and the construction and valuation issues that cause declines.
Brokers, advisers & fees
How brokers and advisers work, what they charge and how to choose
5 articles
6 min read
How to choose a mortgage broker or adviser you can trust
How to check a UK mortgage broker on the FCA Register, tell whole-of-market from panel and tied advisers, ask the right questions, and spot the warning signs before you hand over any money.
6 min read
Fee-free vs fee-charging brokers: which is better?
How fee-free and fee-charging UK mortgage brokers are actually funded, where the incentives sit in each model, and how to compare the true total cost of both before you choose.
6 min read
How much do mortgage brokers and advisers charge in 2026?
Typical UK mortgage broker fee ranges in 2026, how flat fees and percentage fees differ, when payment falls due, how procuration fees work, and what you should get in return.
6 min read
Mortgage broker vs going direct to your bank
An honest comparison of using a mortgage broker versus applying direct to a lender, including direct-only deals, criteria matching, complex cases and how to explore both routes without harming your credit file.
6 min read
What a mortgage broker or adviser actually does for you
A stage-by-stage walkthrough of what a UK mortgage broker does, from the first fact-find through decision in principle, application, valuation and offer to completion, with realistic timings.
Rates & products
Fixed, variable, interest-only and other product types
3 articles
6 min read
Fixed vs variable rate mortgages
How fixed, tracker, discount and capped mortgages work in the UK, what 2, 5 and 10 year fixes really trade off, and how early repayment charges and portability affect the choice.
5 min read
LTV explained: how loan-to-value affects your mortgage rate
What loan-to-value means, why lenders price it in bands at 60, 75, 80, 85, 90 and 95 per cent, and how overpayments, house price movement and downvaluations change the band you land in.
5 min read
Interest-only mortgages: who they suit
How interest-only mortgages work in the UK, the repayment vehicles lenders accept, typical income and equity requirements, part-and-part options, and what to do if an interest-only mortgage is maturing.
Remortgage & equity
Remortgaging, porting, overpaying and releasing equity
5 articles
6 min read
Early repayment charges: how to avoid ERCs on your mortgage
How early repayment charges are calculated and tapered, what triggers them, how the annual overpayment allowance works, and when paying an ERC to switch deals is still the cheaper option.
6 min read
Should you overpay your mortgage?
What mortgage overpayments actually save, how to choose between cutting the term and cutting the payment, and how overpaying compares with saving, pension contributions and clearing other debt.
6 min read
Porting a mortgage: keeping your rate when you move
How porting works when you move house, why you have to requalify, how sub-accounts and blended rates work if you borrow more, what happens if your sale and purchase do not line up, and when remortgaging beats porting.
6 min read
When to remortgage, and how to do it
How to time a remortgage, how a product transfer differs from moving lender, the realistic timeline, the costs involved, and when staying put is the better call.
5 min read
Remortgaging to release equity: is it a good idea?
How capital raising on a remortgage works, how lenders judge what you want the money for, what it does to your loan to value, and the real risk in converting unsecured debt into secured debt.
Buy-to-let & landlords
BTL, HMO, holiday lets and limited company structures
5 articles
7 min read
Buy-to-let mortgages explained for landlords
How buy-to-let mortgages work in the UK: deposits, the interest cover ratio stress test with worked numbers, interest only, yields, running costs, the mortgage interest tax change and when buy-to-let is regulated.
5 min read
HMO mortgages: financing a house of multiple occupation
How HMO mortgages work: mandatory and additional licensing, Article 4 planning restrictions, bricks-and-mortar versus investment valuation, lender experience requirements, room counts and a worked example of HMO yields and running costs.
5 min read
Holiday let mortgages: an owner's guide
How holiday let mortgages work in the UK: seasonal income assessment with low, mid and high season worked figures, deposits and criteria, short-term let licensing and planning rules, personal use limits and the end of the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime.
5 min read
Limited company buy-to-let mortgages explained
How limited company buy-to-let works: setting up an SPV and choosing SIC codes, personal guarantees, how rates and fees compare with personal ownership, a worked tax comparison, and the real cost of moving an existing property into a company.
5 min read
Let to buy mortgages: keeping your old home when you move
How let to buy works: running a buy-to-let remortgage on your current home alongside a purchase, releasing equity for the new deposit with worked numbers, when consent to let is simpler, and how the additional dwellings stamp duty surcharge applies.
Credit & income
Adverse credit, self-employed and complex income
4 articles
6 min read
Credit score and mortgages: what lenders actually check
The three credit reference agencies, why there is no single score lenders share, which entries do the most damage, the fixes that work in three to six months, and how many applications is too many.
6 min read
Getting a mortgage when you're self-employed
How lenders assess sole traders, partners and limited company directors, which documents you need, what happens when profit falls, and how to prepare your accounts a year or two ahead.
5 min read
Contractor mortgages: getting approved on a day rate
How lenders annualise a contract day rate, how much contracting history you need, how gaps between contracts are treated, and what changes if you work through an umbrella or inside IR35.
6 min read
Getting a mortgage with bad credit
What counts as adverse credit, how the age and severity of a default, CCJ, IVA or bankruptcy changes your options, what deposit lenders expect, and what the higher rate actually costs.
Process & paperwork
AIP, applications, valuations, surveys and timelines
11 articles
6 min read
Mortgage application documents: the full checklist
Every document a UK lender is likely to ask for, covering employed, self-employed and contractor income, deposit evidence, identity, gifted deposits, buy to let and new build, plus how to avoid delays.
7 min read
Joint mortgages: what to know before you sign
Joint tenants versus tenants in common, declarations of trust, protecting unequal deposits, how two incomes are assessed, removing someone from a mortgage later, and how JBSP arrangements work.
6 min read
Mortgage Agreement in Principle: what it is and how to get one
What a mortgage agreement in principle is, what lenders check before issuing one, how to get one in about 15 minutes, and the limits of what it proves.
5 min read
How long does a mortgage agreement in principle last?
How long agreements in principle stay valid, how to check your expiry date, what happens if yours lapses mid-purchase, and whether renewing triggers another credit search.
5 min read
Agreement in Principle vs Mortgage in Principle: is there a difference?
AIP, MIP, DIP and lending certificate are different lender names for the same document. Here is what genuinely varies between them and what to ask.
5 min read
Mortgage in principle vs full application: the differences
What underwriting adds beyond a mortgage in principle, how documents and valuations are checked, and why approvals get withdrawn after a positive indication.
6 min read
Conveyancing timeline: how long completion actually takes
A realistic week by week conveyancing timeline for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with searches, enquiries, leasehold packs, chains and costs.
6 min read
From mortgage offer to completion: what happens next
What happens between your formal mortgage offer and getting the keys: offer validity, exchange, deposit transfer, completion day and what to do if the offer expires.
6 min read
Mortgage payment holidays and payment plans
What forbearance your lender can offer now, how a concession is reported on your credit file, term extensions and temporary interest only, Support for Mortgage Interest, and where to get free debt advice.
6 min read
Stamp duty in 2026: what buyers actually pay
How property purchase tax works across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with banded worked examples, first-time buyer relief, the additional property surcharge and filing deadlines.
6 min read
Mortgage valuation vs house survey: know the difference
What a lender's valuation does and does not cover, how RICS Level 1, 2 and 3 surveys differ, which is worth paying for, and how to use the findings to renegotiate or handle a downvaluation.
Later-life mortgages
Equity release and retirement lending
2 articles
5 min read
Equity release: pros, cons and alternatives
Lifetime mortgages and home reversion explained, how rolled-up interest compounds, the Equity Release Council safeguards, the effect on benefits and inheritance, and the alternatives worth exhausting first.
6 min read
Later life mortgage options
Maximum lending ages, how pension income and drawdown are assessed, how Retirement Interest Only mortgages work, extending a term into retirement, and the joint borrower risk nobody explains.
General guides
Everything else worth knowing
5 articles
5 min read
How much money do you need to get a mortgage in the UK?
A full cash budget for buying a home: deposit, valuation and survey, conveyancing, searches, property tax, removals and a buffer, with a worked total for a 250,000 pound purchase.
5 min read
Offset mortgages explained: when linking savings can help
How offset mortgages work, the choice between reducing your payment and reducing your term, why the tax treatment beats a savings account for many people, and who actually benefits.
6 min read
How much mortgage can I actually afford in the UK?
Why income multiples are only the starting point, what counts as income, how commitments and dependants cut the figure, how stress testing works, and a full worked example with two salaries and a car loan.
6 min read
Professional mortgages: how lenders assess doctors and other professionals
Why some lenders offer higher income multiples to doctors, dentists, vets, lawyers and accountants, how NHS banding, locum, bank and private work is treated, and what happens if you are still in training.
5 min read
Self-build mortgages in the UK: how staged funding works
How self-build mortgages release money in stages: arrears versus advance payments, a typical stage schedule, buying the plot, planning and warranty evidence lenders require, contingency planning, VAT reclaim on new builds and remortgaging at completion.