Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
UK Mortgage Market Update – 30th of March 2026
UK mortgage rates are rising again in March 2026 despite the base rate holding. This update explains what’s driving changes and what it means for buyers and remortgages.
Case Study: Helping a First-Time Buyer Use a Gifted Deposit to Secure a Mortgage
Case Study: Helping a First-Time Buyer Use a Gifted Deposit to Secure a Mortgage This mortgage case study is based on a real client scenario. Details have been simplified to protect client confidentiality. For many first-time buyers, saving a deposit is one of the...
Designing the Perfect London Home: An In-Depth Interview with South West London Interior Designer Hannah Ashe
Designing the Perfect London Home: An In-Depth Interview with South West London Interior Designer Hannah Ashe Interior Design Advice for South West London Homeowners For many homeowners, buying a property is just the beginning. The real journey starts when you begin...
Two Lenders Make Changes To Their Stress Rates
As we reach then end of the first week of March 2023, the mortgage market has already seen a lot of changes coming in from mortgage lenders. Not all of them positive! Unfortunately a few lenders have started to increase their mortgage rates again, despite reducing...
Mortgage Approvals Low For Fifth Month
Statistics recorded and released by the Bank of England show that mortgage approvals on average have slumped and fallen for the fifth month in a row. This means that more mortgage applications, which would normally go through to offer smoothly, are being declined or...
Halifax and BM Solutions Extend Mortgage Completion
Halifax bank and buy-to-let only lender BM solutions (Birmingham Midshires) have announced this morning that they have made some changes to their products, specifically around their completion dates on selected products and mortgage types. Here is a breakdown of what...
Is Prime London Property Bouncing Back?
Historically, owning prime property in London has been a safe and savvy way to invest your money. People from across the globe have fought to own an exclusive piece of the capital. And it looked like this was going to continue forever. However, a disastrous turn of...
How To Get A Contractor Mortgage
One of the most common questions and enquiries that we get, especially being based in London and working with highly skilled professionals on a regular basis, is the subject of how to get a mortgage as an independent contractor. Contractors are an essential part of...
Accord and Coventry Cut Their UK Mortgage Rates
Both Accord Mortgages and Coventry Building Society have sent out email notifications this morning to mortgage advisors, announcing that they are making some big reductions on their UK mortgage rates. These welcome changes come after a week of uncertainty as some...
Are Over-50s Being Priced Out By The Recession?
As more and more news articles are produced about the current economic struggles that the UK faces, we hear a lot about the impact that the economic crisis will have on young people. However, studies show that a large amount of over-50s are actually concerned about...
House Sales In January Lowest Since 2015
Troubling statistics released show that in January 2023, house sales were the lowest that they have been in 8 years since January 2015. Why has this happened? Will it get better? And what could this mean for people looking to get on the property ladder and build their...
Does Shared Ownership Need Re-Branding?
Back in the day, purchasing your first home was much easier. We know that this has become a bit of a cliché, but it's true! 20, 30, 40+ years ago, buying a home in your early 20's was something that was expected to happen. In 1983 the average price of a house in the...
First Time Buyer Deposit Saver By Coventry
Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for first time buyers when considering flying the parent's nest or finally getting out of the generation rent cycle. How much deposit do you need as a first time buyer, and how are you supposed to save a deposit in this day and age?...
Virgin Money Makes Surprising Mortgage Rate Increase
For the last few week we have been reporting on the welcome rate reductions coming from most lenders following the dramatic rate hike of 2022. For many mortgage brokers, it looked like things were finally returning to somewhat normal levels. However, Virgin Money, the...
Collection Of Energy Performance Certificate Ratings
Lloyds Banking group, which is comprised on Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Birmingham Midshires, and Scottish Widows, have revealed their plans moving forward to tackle and reduce carbon emissions through their lending. Both Halifax Bank and buy-to-let lender...
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