It sounds like common sense to say that if you have paid £880 rent a month for a couple of years then you can obviously afford a mortgage costing £880 a month. And if you live in London or the south-east, you will probably add that rents are so high you can't afford to save much for a deposit, so you need your good rental payment record to be taken into account in a mortgage application. This … [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.
Can I overpay my interest only mortgage?
Mrs M asked: I have an interest-only mortgage of £91,000 with 11 years left, with no plan to repay it at the end. It was originally a repayment mortgage, but when I couldn’t afford the payments the bank suggested I switch to an interest-only mortgage. I went through with my bank an option to change to repayment but they didn’t accept me. Can I pay extra each month? Will it reduce the debt and … [Read more...]
“Can I use the Right to Buy my council house when I have debts?”
A reader asked: I moved in with my parents into their council house several years ago and we are looking into the right to buy scheme. We received the paperwork and it stated that you are not entitled to the right to buy if you owe money to creditors. Five years ago I lost my job and had a relationship breakup and unfortunately got into debt. Two accounts were defaulted and I went into a payment … [Read more...]
Bankruptcy, IVA, DRO & your credit rating
If your debts are so bad that you are going to have to choose one of the three types of insolvency, you know this will wreck your credit rating, but how long will this continue? This article answers this and other you may have about the effect of insolvency on your credit record such as Will you ever be able to get credit again? What about a mortgage? Is bankruptcy worse than an IVA or a DRO for … [Read more...]
Repossession after bankruptcy – be careful!
What do you need to do if you want your house to be repossessed after you go bankrupt in England, Wales or Northern Ireland? Perhaps the house is unaffordable, has negative equity, or it's the wrong size for you. For whatever reason, you want to move out, are happy for the mortgage lender to repossess and may want to "hand back the keys" as fast as possible to get it all over with. The … [Read more...]