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.


Posted on 31 August 2009

Hi we have a house worth £380k and mortgage left to pay of £195k. We would like to buy a holiday cottage to let in Ireland for £130k do you think we will be able to get a mortage based on the equity in our house? And if so what...

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Category: Buying abroad, Raising capital out of property, Remortgaging, Second properties


Posted on 7 March 2008

I am looking at a commercial venture into the USA, a 10 room B&B with inn and tavern attached. I have two properties in the UK to sell to provide some financing but need to source the rest. The venture in the USA has a gross...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 6 March 2008

We have seen a property for sale in Germany, which we would use for holidays and as a long term investment. We have had our offer accepted and could raise a mortgage as our property is worth £190,000, with £4,000 debt left on it....

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 10 February 2008

Dear Katie, we would very much appreciate your advice and sign posting for the following enquiry: We have a property in the UK worth £205,000 with the outstanding mortgage of £96,000 which leaves roughly £110,000 in equity. We...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 5 February 2008

I am a British citizen currently (and indefinitely) resident in Germany. I have no British income, apart from rent on my London property. I would like to buy a property in Germany, but I need a deposit of approx £25,000. Could I...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 1 February 2008

I am a German citizen but UK resident, living and working in London for many years. I am looking into buying a property in Germany and would like to take out a UK mortgage. While many UK banks offer oversea mortgages they seem...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 28 January 2008

Hi My wife and I lived and worked abroad for over 12 years, we moved back to the UK in 2004 we have adverse credit rating because of not living in the UK and during the 18 months we had a few financial hiccups, we left the UK in...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 28 January 2008

We are looking to emigrate by July. With the housing market being so slow we are starting to panic. Do you have any suggestions for us if we cannot sell our property by that time?

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 22 January 2008

I am a UK resident living in Mexico. I wish to buy property in Mexico. I do not own a property in the UK and I am unable to get a mortgage in Mexico since I have not lived here for 5 years. Could you advise me on a suitable...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 2 January 2008

I have a property in the UK with a maximum of £25,000 equity available. I am interested in purchasing a long term leased flat in Germany for around £70,000. I'm hesitant to try and get a mortgage in Germany for this using my UK...

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 19 November 2007

We bought an old property in Italy in 2003, renovated and added a new extension. Its currently valued at 250,000 Euros but no mortgage, and we would like to repeat the process with another property. We have the contacts and...

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Category: Buying abroad, Foreign Currency or foreign tracking rate mortgages


Posted on 25 October 2007

Hi, I owe around £260k on my mortgage but my property with 7 beds, swimming pool bar, cinema, etc (i built the house out my saving) has been valued around £800-900K by a local estate agent, but i now want to buy a property in...

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Category: Buying abroad, Foreign Currency or foreign tracking rate mortgages


Posted on 4 October 2007

I want to buy a property abroad to get on the property ladder. Can I have a mortgage abroad as well as in the UK?

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Category: Buying abroad


Posted on 29 September 2007

How feasible is to take out a 100% mortgage via a UK lender on a property in Portugal?

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Category: Buying abroad, Foreign Currency or foreign tracking rate mortgages


Posted on 1 September 2007

I have an apartment in Dubai valued at around £70,000. It should be rented out soon at around £500 per calendar month. Am I able to remortgage through Charcol. I have heard that you have a union with National Bank of Dubai. There...

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Category: Buying abroad, Remortgaging


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