Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
How We Helped A Newly Appointed Executive Secure A £750,000 Mortgage During Their Probation Period
Discover how we helped a newly appointed executive secure a £750,000 mortgage while still in their probation period. Learn how lender criteria can make all the difference.
How To Add Value To Your Home
Discover the best ways to add value to your home in the UK, from loft conversions and kitchen renovations to solar panels and garage conversions. Learn which home improvements can increase property value, improve buyer appeal, and which upgrades may not deliver the return you expect.
Can I Get A Mortgage With A Small Deposit?
Learn how low-deposit mortgages work in the UK, whether you can buy with a 5% deposit, and what lenders look for when assessing mortgage affordability.
Nationwide Mortgage Rate Changes
Nationwide are lifting mortgage rates for new and existing clients across their product range as of today (10th of June) meaning repayments will go up! The building society have specifically said: Nationwide Mortgage Rate Changes For New Mortgages: The changes that...
Best Cafés In Putney For Runners To Re-Charge
In July 2022, our senior mortgage and protection advisor Jade Pinkerton is running the ASICS London 10K in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Jade’s gruelling training regime is taking her across southwest London, and she is racking up the miles daily in preparation for...
Am I Paying Too Much Interest On My Mortgage?
"My Mortgage Is Too High" One of the more alarming statistics I’ve read recently suggests that more than a million homeowners – 1.3m, to be more precise – have allowed their mortgage to lapse to their lender’s standard variable rate (SVR) and are paying too much....
Life Insurance for a Stroke Victim Case Study
Key Facts: Long-time client of Oportfolio Has used us to secure mortgages and remortgages on several properties over the years During this early professional relationship with Oportfolio, he had a stroke and a brain haemorrhage out of the blue After treatment and...
Fee-Free Mortgages Are On The Rise
According to recently released information from finance comparison website Moneyfacts, fee-free mortgage products have been increasing in the market over the last year. Lenders who still charge fees have also been reducing their fee amount too. Typically, a lot of...
What Is A Tracker Mortgage?
In the British mortgage world, there are many different ways of getting finance on a property and many different ways of paying this money back to the lender. Sometimes the difference between each type of mortgage can be confusing, that’s where advice and guidance...
Best Places To Stop In Central London Along Jade’s Route
In just over five weeks, our senior mortgage and protection advisor Jade Pinkerton will be running the ASICS Central London 10K in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. The run takes place across central London and goes through some of the most iconic and touristy areas of...
Santander Launch 95% Mortgages
Santander have announced today that they are launching new 95% mortgages outside of the governments mortgage guarantee scheme. On Wednesday the 1st of June Santander will be launching 95% loan to value (LTV) mortgages without the need for support from the Government’s...
What Is An Offset Mortgage?
You might have heard that term offset mortgage thrown about before on TV adverts, news articles, and in your local bank. But how much do you really know about offset mortgages? What are they and why would anyone choose to offset their mortgage? In this article we will...
Santander Self-Employed Mortgages Change to 90% LTV
As of tomorrow (Thursday the 26th of May) Santander have confirmed that they have now increased their maximum LTV (Loan to Value) for self-employed people from 75% i.e. 25% deposit, to 90% i.e. 10% deposit. This is fantastic news as Santander has held firm at only...
Right to Buy Contractor – Case Study
Key facts: Client lived in a house and rented it from the local council As part of the right to buy scheme, he wanted to purchase the property from the council at a discounted price. He approached his bank because he thought this would be the easiest option for him....
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...
We're Here to Help
If you have any questions about UK mortgage news or anything you’ve read then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.