Mortgages

Repayment Methods for your Mortgage

Once their mortgage application has been accepted in principal, the borrower may have the option of deciding how he or she repays their loan: on a ‘capital and interest’ basis, or on an ‘interest only’ basis.

Capital and Interest Mortgages

An arrangement where part of the monthly repayment is used to pay the interest and the remainder is used to reduce the original amount of the loan. In the early years of the mortgage, most of the monthly repayment goes towards paying the interest; in later years, the interest charges diminish and more of the repayment is available to reduce the loan amount.

Interest-only Mortgages

Interest only mortgages are a type of mortgage where only the interest is repaid. The full capital amount remains outstanding during the mortgage term and is repaid in one lump sum at the end of the term.

Lenders require evidence that a customer will have in place a clear credible repayment strategy and that the repayment strategy has the potential to repay the capital borrowed.

Repayment strategies may include deposits or investment product(s), pension(s), periodic repayment of capital from irregular sources of income (i.e. bonuses), the sale of another property or other land or other acceptable methods which meet lending criteria.

This means that the mortgage payments each month will be lower than those of a repayment mortgage for a similar loan and term. Where the repayment of capital is an investment the investment runs alongside the mortgage but is separate from it; the cost should be taken into account when calculating the overall costs of the mortgage arrangement.

Every month, you then pay this interest to the lender for the duration of the loan. The lender calculates your monthly repayments depending upon how the rate you have chosen is set. The monthly interest payments may vary dependent on whether the interest rate is fixed or variable. At the end of the loan period, the lender will expect the initial capital they lend you to be repaid in full by whatever means you have arranged. 

Having decided on the loan repayment method, the borrower then needs to consider what kind of mortgage they want. The main options, some of which may or may not be available depending on the mortgage market and general economic conditions prevailing at the time, are described below.

Remortgaging

Remortgaging is the process of switching your existing mortgage to another mortgage lender, usually to lower the amount you're paying on your mortgage.

You are not obliged to stick with your original lender for the full mortgage term, and you can move to another lender at any time to get a lower interest rate - you don't have to be buying a new home. Remortgaging could save you hundreds or even thousands of pounds over the term of the mortgage. It is important to note that early repayment charges may be applied by the existing lender.

We will be pleased to help and advise you further on how to switch and save.

Tracker Mortgages

The interest rate applied to the mortgage repayment is linked directly to the Bank of England’s base rate and will rise and fall in line with that rate.