Types of mortgages

A fixed-rate mortgage will mean your monthly payments should stay the same until an agreed date, no matter what happens to interest rates in the market. Fixed-rate periods come in various lengths, for example, 2, 3 and 5 years.

Tracker mortgages follow the Bank of England’s Base Rate and rise or fall along with it. The interest rate charged is the Bank of England’s Base Rate plus an agreed margin. There are ‘lifetime’ trackers for the life of the mortgage, and term trackers which may be for 2 or 3 years.

The SVR is the rate of interest that’s usually charged once a fixed rate or term tracker period ends. You can usually move to another fixed or tracker product instead of moving onto a SVR, if you wish. Some lenders may also let you take out a mortgage on their SVR. Your lender decides the rate and may decide to increase or decrease it over the period of your mortgage.

With a capital repayment mortgage, the monthly repayments include an element which repays the borrowed capital, as well as a payment for the monthly interest of the loan. With this repayment method, you can ensure your mortgage is fully paid off at the end of the mortgage period.

With an interest-only mortgage, your monthly payment only covers the interest charged on your loan for that
month, so the amount you owe in capital doesn’t reduce over time. You’ll need to show the lender that you’ll have some way of paying off the debt in the future (such as an investment or a second property you could sell). Interest-only mortgages are commonly chosen when you’re buying to let.

If they are available, a 95% loan to value (LTV) mortgage allows first-time buyers to contribute a 5% deposit. If eligible, this means you could potentially borrow up to 95% of your property’s value or the purchase price (whichever is lower).

If you’re buying a property to rent out, you’ll need a buy-to-let mortgage. A buy- to-let investment can be a big commitment, so it’s important to consider costs, responsibilities, and the risks of becoming a landlord.