With over 40 years' experience as an independent mortgage adviser, we are perfectly qualified to help and support you through the process of buying a house and arranging a mortgage.
Our range of mortgage guides are tailored to explain mortgages in simple terms, without any jargon or sales talk. Read the guides below for helpful mortgage tips for navigating the UK property market.
Buying Your First Home
Buying a house for the first time doesn’t need to be complicated. From the definition of a first-time buyer, through the steps to buying a property and the costs you’ll face - everything you need to know is in our guide.
Moving Home Guide
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or this is the first time you’re selling your home, our guide will take you through the journey.
House Buying Guide
Are you looking to buy your first home? Or perhaps want to move to a new area? Our step-by-step guide will tell you everything you need to know about buying a house.
Mortgage Types
Our guide explains everything you need to know about the different types of mortgages, including: interest rates, features, repayment methods and more.
Stamp Duty Tax Guide
Stamp Duty is a big part of buying a home. In this guide, we’ll explain Stamp Duty and help you understand how it works.
Second Home Stamp Duty
How much Stamp Duty do you pay on second homes? In this guide, we explain the rates, how to work out what you’ll pay and when you’re exempt from paying.
Tax on Rental Income
What don’t you know about the tax on rental income? Our guide gives landlords insight on how it’s applied, the rates you’ll pay and your allowances.
Applying for a Mortgage
Applying for a mortgage couldn’t be simpler with our easy and simple guide from application to accepting your offer.
Help to Buy Guide
Support from the government-backed Help to Buy initiative is available for first-time buyers and existing homeowners who are finding it difficult to move up the housing ladder.
Remortgaging Guide
Remortgaging is when you change your lender and get a different deal altogether. In this guide we explain how it works, when it’s useful and the processes involved.
Buy-to-Let Guide
You can now get a buy-to-let mortgage at interest rates to suit almost any circumstances. Our guide takes you through the choices involved in more detail.
Buy-to-Let Tax Changes
Our simple guide takes you through the current and future changes, explaining what you need to know and how the changes will affect you.
Becoming a Landlord
You can make a lot of money from becoming a landlord – if you make smart choices. Our guide explains how it all works and contains tips to help you be successful.
Funding Home Improvements
You can finance home improvements by seeking a further advance, remortgaging, taking out a second charge and more. Our guide explains what options you have and how they affect your mortgage.
Borrowing into Retirement
In this guide we’ll outline the options, paths and solutions available to you, from remortgaging, to extending your mortgage and releasing the equity you’ve built up in your home.
Property Finance for Expats
In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you should be aware of and prepare yourself for when looking to arrange an expat mortgage or remortgage in the UK.
Protecting Your Home and Property
It's important to understand what protection you must have in place to buy a home and the options open to you to provide you with peace of mind. In this guide we'll look at three types of insurance and why you should consider making a will.
Limited Company Buy-to-Let Mortgages
We explain everything you need to know about purchasing a buy-to-let through a limited company – the mortgages, the advantages and disadvantages and more.
Freehold and Leasehold
Before you buy a property, you need to decide whether you want a freehold or leasehold. In this guide, we explain what they mean and how they affect your mortgage.
House Mortgage Deposit
Saving a mortgage deposit for a house is definitely one of the biggest hurdles you face as a buyer. In our guide we explain how deposits work and ways you can save.
Capital Gains Tax Guide
You pay Capital Gains Tax on the profit you make from the sale of a property that’s not your main residence. In our guide we answer all your questions about CGT.
Types of Houses
There are a few common types of houses in the UK. This guide explains how they’re different, as well as how they can affect your mortgage and insurance needs.
Right to Buy Guide
The Right to Buy government scheme helps current council tenants and some previous council tenants buy their home at a discount. Find out if you’re eligible in our guide.
Tenants in Common
If you buy a property with someone as tenants in common, you each own a separate share. Find out how this works, how it’s different from joint tenants and more in this guide.
Divorce and Mortgages
It’s vitally important that you understand your mortgage options during or following a divorce or separation from a partner. John Charcol’s guide provides the perfect starting point.
Second Property Mortgages
Are you looking to buy a second home and need advice on a second property mortgage? Perhaps you’re planning to buy a holiday home? Read our guide to find out more.
Shared Ownership Guide
Did you know you can part buy, part rent a property through shared ownership? In this guide, we explain how shared ownership works so you can decide whether it would suit you.
Guarantor Mortgages
With a guarantor mortgage, a relative guarantees to meet your mortgage payments if you can’t. We explain how this works and the benefits in our guide.
Equity Release Guide
Equity release is where you extract money from a property you own. There are 2 types of equity release: lifetime mortgages and home reversion schemes. There’s also another lifetime product called a RIO mortgage; we explain how all these products work, the benefits and pitfalls and more in this guide.
Types of House Surveys
There are a few common types of house surveys. This guide explains how they’re different, how much they cost and how long they take.