Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
First-Time Buyer Mortgages Could Benefit from Lending Rule Changes
UK first-time buyer mortgages may become cheaper following a crucial suggestion by the Bank of England to ease current lending limits on increased loan-to-income ratios. In its latest Financial Stability Report, the Bank suggested providing lenders with more...
Nationwide First-Time Buyer Mortgage Rates Cut
UK mortgage lender Nationwide has launched a fresh round of rate cuts on a range of fixed rate mortgage deals, providing a welcome boost for first-time buyers, remortgagers, and existing customers alike. New rates, launching tomorrow, will fall by up to 0.20% on...
Expert Insight: What First-Time Buyers Really Need to Know in 2025
Buying your first home can be one of the most exhilarating, yet most intimidating, experiences you will ever have. With changing house prices, new mortgages, and a staggering quantity of web guidance, how do you get past fact from fiction? We met with Oliver...
Oportfolio’s Charity Initiative
At Oportfolio, we are all big supporters of charity, and we try to help in any way we can with good causes in the local area and the country as a whole. This year we are starting an initiative to support a different charity every quarter to try and raise as much funds...
Nationwide and TSB Increase Their Mortgage Rates
Mortgage rates can rise, that’s something everyone should be aware of. At some point rates must fluctuate as various economic factors change. Every so often they also decrease! But over the last few months we have began to see a bit of economic uncertainty and...
Kent Reliance Supports Complex Income Mortgages
Mortgage lender Kent Reliance, part of the Once Savings Bank Group, has announced that they will now offer more residential mortgage products to help home buyers and remortgagers with complex income sources. Founded in 1898 as the Chatham & District Reliance...
Interest-Only vs Repayment Mortgage
What is the purpose of a mortgage? Is there a clear definition? Most people would define a mortgage as a loan provided by a bank, building society, or private finance company to purchase a property when immediate funds are not available. As a loan, this money will...
Non-Owner/Occupier Rental Property – Case Study
Key facts: Client owned his own property that he lived in He wanted to rent it out and move in with his partner in her property His current mortgage lender would not let him switch his mortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage Most lenders would not allow him to remortgage...
London Rent is On the Rise
We all know that rent in London can cost you a small (or large) fortune depending on the area you live in, and Southerners in general are relentlessly berated by anyone north of Luton for the laughable cost of living they put up with. And it seems that Londoners...
The Best Place to Buy in London
The country’s capital has always been a desired place to live. With limitless career potential, unbeatable leisure activities, and unique experiences like no where else, London is the place to be. But living in such a desirable places often comes at a cost and...
What Is A Standard Variable Rate (SVR) Mortgage?
The standard variable rate is a nightmare. There’s no reason to pretend that it isn’t, and you should want to avoid it at all costs. For a lot of mortgage customers, well at least those who are receiving continued quality mortgage advice, the standard variable rate or...
Breaking News: Bank of England Raises Base Rate to 1%
Latest news coming out of the Bank of England says that they are raising the BoE base rate to 1% from the previous 0.75% which was only introduced in March 2022. Despite issuing warnings of a possible incoming recession and despite pressure from government officials,...
Standard Variable Rate Mortgage – Case Study
Key facts: Couple purchased their first property in the UK a few years ago but never had the standard variable rate explained to them. Their mortgage was on an interest only basis but when their product term ended, they reverted automatically to the SVR. They were...
£1 Million+ Mortgage for a London Professional
Key facts: Client found his dream property and needed a large £1 Million+ mortgage loan. As a mortgage over £1 Million is larger than your average mortgage, there were several factors that needed to be taken into account and specific criteria needed to be met. Our...
Company Director Mortgage needed for professional couple
Key facts: Clients were looking to purchase their first home together as a couple and had found the perfect starter home. With a decent sized deposit that they had worked hard to save, our clients were looking forward to starting their new life together as homeowners....
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