Ask the experts

About our experts...

At John Charcol, we are constantly asked for advice by borrowers on what they should do when it comes to mortgages. As such, we created this section so that you can submit your questions to our experts. The answers are provided by a number of people who have years of experience in the mortgage market. The team is led by Peter Woodward who works in our technical department. Peter spent his formative years as an underwriter with one of the major UK lenders so what he doesn't know, quite frankly, isn't worth knowing...

So please do submit your question and we will do all we can to answer it as quickly as possible

Please be aware that these answers can only be generic and no personal recommendations can be made.

Should we cut our losses and sell?

Posted on 31 July 2008

Hi,

My partner and I bought a house 2 years ago in Northampton. We live in london, but our plan was to move to northampton, however, due to work commitments this never happended. When we bought the house we got a together...

What is the best way to use offset?

Posted on 28 July 2008

I currently have an offset mortgage with IF. I have approx £30k offsetting a mortgage of £69,000 (balance left to pay). Is it better to offset and save interest each month or would I be better off knocking nearly £30k off my...

Can we let to buy?

Posted on 27 July 2008

Hi, me and my husband currently have a 3 bed semi detached house worth around £135,000 we bought it for £120,000 3 years ago, we are lookinmg to move to a bigger property as we now have a baby. Would we be able to let the...

Does your rate increase if you let your property?

Posted on 26 July 2008

I have a tracker mortgage with the woolwich, if I let my house will my rate increase

Can I raise equity from my property to buy another?

Posted on 26 July 2008

Hi Bea, I'm British but have lived in Australia for the last 3 years. I have a house in NW London worth $350,000 with a mortgage of $165,000. My mortgage contract finishes in August this year and I'm interested in raising some...

Can expats get a mortgage in the UK?

Posted on 25 July 2008

I am a 37 year old service manager, I have been working in Saudi Arabia for the last 9 years - what advice could you give me if i wanted to get a morgage to purchase a property while still an expatriate - this property would not...

Answers provided in response to Ask the experts are based on the information provided and do not constitute advice under the Financial Services & Markets Act. They reflect the personal views of the authors and do not neccessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of John Charcol Limited. All comments are made in good faith, and John Charcol Limited will not accept liability for them.

We recommend you seek professional advice with regard to any of these topics where appropriate.