Remortgaging

Moving house is a big financial decision. It also impacts your emotional well-being and the happiness of both you and your family.

Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is a government tax paid on property and land purchases worth more than £125,000 in England and Northern Ireland. There are slight variations on this tax in Wales (Land Transaction Tax, or LTT) and Scotland (Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, or LBTT).

Buying a house will most likely be the most expensive single purchase you ever make. Affording a home, especially in an expensive area like London, requires financial dedication, and choosing the right home requires extensive research and a strong constitution.

Right to Buy is a housing scheme that allows some council house and housing association tenants to buy their home at a discounted price. Variations of the scheme are available in England and Northern Ireland. The scheme is no longer running in Scotland or Wales.

Conveyancers do more than simply handle the legal documents when you buy or sell a house. While it’s true that you can undertake the work yourself (if the mortgage lender permits it), it is much safer to use a conveyancer, or a solicitor who specialises in property matters, to do the work for you.

Recent changes to buy-to-let (BTL) property tax rules have made it a lot more difficult to successfully make a profit from buying a house with a BTL mortgage. This buy-to-let guide outlines the tax changes and explains what to consider if you’re thinking of becoming a BTL investor and/or landlord.

95% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages are most popular with first-time buyers because they only require a 5% deposit. As the deposit is comparatively small, you can reach your savings target (and so get onto the property ladder) that much sooner. They are also available to those remortgaging or moving house.

Choosing the right mortgage is a complex problem, but it’s vital for your financial health that you make a sensible decision and don’t get overwhelmed by the options, especially if you’re a first-time buyer.

A mortgage is a type of long-term loan that most people need in order to buy a property. You borrow the money from a lender – usually a high-street bank or building society – and then pay it back (plus interest!) over a period of time (usually 25 to 30 years).