Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
Buy-To-Let Mortgage Tax Relief for Landlords
Investing in a buy-to-let property can be a lucrative venture, offering long-term rental income and potential capital appreciation for those looking to invest their money somewhere. However, landlords must also consider the financial responsibilities, including tax...
First-Time Buyer Age in the UK Rises To 33 New Research Reveals
The number of first-time buyers in the UK saw a significant increase in 2024, with 341,068 people stepping onto the property ladder. This marks a 19% rise compared to 2023, according to the latest research from Halifax. First-time buyers made up 54% of all home...
Santander and Barclays Mortgage Rates Drop Below 4%
Well Ladies and Gentlemen…it has finally happened! The UK mortgage market has taken an exciting turn as two major lenders, Santander and Barclays, introduce mortgage products with interest rates below 4%! This is something that we have all been waiting for as rates...
UK Rental And Mortgage Payments Reach Highest Level In 13 Months
According to the recently released Barclays Property Insights report, UK rental and mortgage payments have surged to their highest level in over a year, with an increase of 6.4% in October 2024. This marks the steepest growth in housing costs since September 2023, yet...
HSBC Mortgage Rates Increase Despite Base Rate Drop: Here’s Why
HSBC has announced a huge increase in mortgage rates across nearly all of their lending categories including residential and Buy-to-Let mortgages. It is quite clear that this rate rise from HSBC (one of the UK’s big six lenders) will negatively impact a lot of...
Leeds Building Society Launches New Mortgage Products
Almost certainly in response to the recent base rate reduction by the Bank of England, Leeds Building Society has announced updates to its mortgage products. Although not one of the typical big six lenders of the UK, Leeds’s new mortgage products definitely offer some...
Using Rental Income For A Mortgage With NatWest
NatWest has announced this morning that they will be simplifying their criteria for using earned rental income for a mortgage application, for residential purposes. Most mortgage lenders will use earned income from employment and self employment as a means to...
Can Mortgages Be Transferred To Another Property
Can mortgages be transferred to another property? That is certainly a question that a lot of people who currently have a mortgage want to know. Getting a mortgage is normally quite a smooth process if you have the right kind of mortgage advice and advisor. However,...
HSBC Increases 53 Mortgage Product Rates Amid Economic Uncertainty
It has been announced today that HSBC has increased mortgage product rates on 53 of its mortgage products, impacting many different areas of residential mortgage borrowing. Some of the customers expected to be impacted by the rate increases are existing customers...
Santander Mortgage Rates Slashed While Virgin Increases Fixed Deals
Amid recent economic policy shifts, Santander and Virgin Money have made notable changes to their mortgage rates, offering contrasting options for UK homebuyers and investors. Santander is reducing rates across its fixed-rate residential and buy-to-let mortgages, with...
Metro Reduces UK Buy-To-Let Mortgage Rates As TSB Hikes Them
October has truly been the month for rate instability in my opinion. None of us wanted rates to fluctuate as much as they have over the last month or so, and I don’t think that I was the only one who thought that we might at least enjoy some stability until the end of...
Barclays Introduces New Maximum Age For Mortgage Applicants
This morning, Barclays Mortgages has announced a new set of age-related criteria for its residential mortgage offerings, hoping to simplifying the mortgage application process for older borrowers. The changes, establish new guidelines for maximum age limits,...
Energy Efficiency Report Shows Opportunities and Challenges for Buy-to-Let Investors
Today, The Mortgage Works (TMW) Nationwide Building Society’s buy-to-let lending only arm released their energy efficiency report for the private buy-to-let rental sector. The latest report from The Mortgage Works explores the energy efficiency of the UK's private...
Abi Muazu From Barclays Mortgages Shares Her Thoughts
A couple of weeks ago, our team at Oportfolio Mortgages had the pleasure of welcoming Abi Muazu, business development manager for Barclays mortgages into our Putney mortgage brokerage. As part of our ongoing commitment to building close relationships with mortgage...
Halifax Increases 2-Year and 5-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates
Halifax announced yesterday an increase in interest rates across its 2-year and 5-year fixed mortgage products. Borrowers will see rate hikes ranging between 0.11% and 0.24%, effective immediately. The changes come as part of a broader shift in mortgage pricing, with...
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