With around 130 mortgage lenders in the UK each offering a range of products, there are a huge variety of mortgages available. With our help, you can make sure that you choose the one that's most suitable for you.

A mortgage is a loan that is secured against your property. This means that you are charged a lower interest rate than you would for another type of loan because there is less of a risk for your lender. The mortgage that you take out to buy your home will usually be called a first charge because when your property is sold, your lender is paid off first.

The interest rate on a variable rate mortgage can change during the term of your mortgage, broadly in line with interest rates in the economy as a whole. This may be useful if you want to keep your mortgage straightforward. You need to be sure that you can afford any increases to your mortgage payments.

A fixed rate loan gives you a guaranteed rate of interest for an agreed period of time regardless of whether interest rates in the economy change. This can be very comforting if you have a larger loan or a tight budget, because it guarantees that the payments won’t rise with a change in interest rates during the fixed period.

Some mortgages allow you to vary payments for periods of time. You can pay extra amounts, overpayments, to build up a reserve which you can withdraw from at any time, and for any reason. You may even pay your mortgage off early. You also have the facility to take payment holidays or borrow money back to help you get through an expensive period.

Some lenders will offer a discount on their standard variable rate for a limited period. Once this discount has expired, the interest rate will revert to their standard variable rate. You need to be sure that you can afford the increases to your monthly repayments once the discount period finishes.

Capped rate mortgages are based on the standard variable rate, although they are guaranteed to stay below an agreed interest rate for a limited period. Once the Capped rate period has expired, the interest rate will revert to the standard variable rate.

Redemption penalties may be charged by your lender if you want to pay all or part of your mortgage off early, change the terms of your mortgage or transfer it to a new lender.

You will normally need to find at least 5% of your property purchase price as a deposit, which is payable on exchange of contracts. Some lenders offer 100% mortgages.

This is a guarantee that covers the lender in case your property is repossessed and they cannot get back their money. It is only charged by some lenders, and only if you borrow a high percentage of the property's value. It can sometimes be added to the loan. This may also be called a Maximum Advance Fee (MAF).

Which mortgage? Complete the online enquiry form and we can guide you through the range of mortgages available and help find the right one for you.