On 17 November 2020 the FCA confirmed its new mortgage payment break rules. You can have 6 months payment deferrals - sometimes called payment breaks or payment holidays - if you or someone in your household had had financial problems because of Coronavirus. If you originally had a three month payment break then went back to making the normal mortgage repayments, you can now get a second … [Read more...]
Articles about Mortgages
Mortgages are a "priority debt". If you are having difficulty paying the mortgage you need to take debt advice as soon as possible - the earlier you do this, the more options you are likely to have.
These pages list all Debt Camel articles about mortgages in date order. If you would prefer to see the most popular articles grouped by theme, looking at "problems getting a Mortgage", "problems if you already have a mortgage" and "interest rates", then look at the Mortgages and Debt page.
“Will partial settlement make it hard to get a mortgage?”
Ms F asked: "I have been in debt management for five years after my marriage breakdown. After an inheritance, I want to pay off my DMP as it will carry on for years. I could pay in full but my house needs some urgent work and my car is on its last legs. I asked about my credit score if I offer a partial settlement and was told this would show as partially settled on credit score file. Will I … [Read more...]
Credit Ladder – can renting boost your credit rating?
UPDATE - September 2020 - now Credit Ladder are proposing to charge you £60 a year to report to both Experian and Equifax. I suggest you don't bother! As a means of paying to try to improve your credit score this seems unnecessary, reporting to two is very little better than reporting to one. Do yourself a favour and pay that £5 a month off a debt instead. Or add it to your savings account if … [Read more...]
“On furlough, now redundant – what about my mortgage & IVA?”
A reader, Mr D, asked: I am being made redundant, no redundancy pay as I didn't work there long enough. We have managed my IVA payments when I was on furlough by taking a mortgage holiday but that is ending and now our household income will be halving. We will struggle to pay the mortgage let alone the IVA. My partner earns too much for me to get any benefits. I know I have to tell my IVA, but … [Read more...]
SMI needs to be reformed now most people can’t have more payment breaks
Support for mortgage interest (SMI) provides help to people on benefits with part of the cost of paying a mortgage. Most homeowners whose household finances have been affected by Coronavirus have taken mortgage payment breaks. This has avoided problems with mortgage arrears and people haven't had to think about how they could get help with their mortgage costs. But people can only get six … [Read more...]
95% mortgages – no longer available
At the beginning of 2020, this article started by saying "95% mortgages are back in fashion" and pointed out how many more 95% mortgage offers there were compared to a few years ago. That is no longer true. In mid 2020, it is now very hard to get a mortgage with a 10% deposit. The 5% deposit offers have all vanished. Mortgage lenders are concerned that house prices may fall for the next … [Read more...]
Covid-19 – you can get a second 3 month mortgage break until end October
UPDATE 1st November 2020 Mortgage payment breaks ended at the end of October 2020. But the FCA is now talking about letting people who have had less than 6 months payment break have another one... If you have already had 6 months mortgage payment break, this will not help you. See When mortgage payment breaks end, can you pay your mortgage? for what support your lender now has to give … [Read more...]
Save a house deposit or pay off debt?
A reader asked: "A friend said not to pay my defaulted debts off but save money towards a deposit for a mortgage - is this a good idea?" It's often unwise to rely on friends for debt advice... They may be guessing, their situation may have been quite different from yours, or they may be assuming what happened to them years ago is still useful today. But they may know nothing about the current … [Read more...]
I have debts – can I get a mortgage?
You know a mortgage will cost the same or less than your rent which you have paid without problems for years - so it's obvious you can afford the mortgage. But that isn't what a mortgage lender looks at when they assess affordability! A few years ago, lenders only looked at the size of your deposit, your credit rating and your income. Now, in 2020, the "affordability calculations" look … [Read more...]
“Can mortgage lenders see old debts, no longer on my credit record?”
A reader asked: I know a debt drops off my credit file 6 years after it was settled or defaulted. I just want to ask when I apply for a mortgage, can the lender dig up unpaid debts if they are no longer showing on my credit report? This is a common question. The answer is Yes, sometimes because a lender can see other information that may show the debts. Let's look at what the lender can see, … [Read more...]