How do I work out how big a mortgage I can afford?
Most mortgage lenders will loan you around 3 or 4 times your salary (however some have started to loan 5 or even 6 times your yearly salary amount). If you’re buying with a partner you will usually get 2 and a half or three times your joint income for the house of your dreams.

Many lenders will work out how much to lend based on what you can realistically "afford" each month in repayments. That means they look at your ‘disposable income’ i.e. what is left after you have paid bills, credit cards, loans etc.


Can I get a mortgage if I have a bad credit rating?
You can and you should not let this fact stop you from buying a property. However you have to remember that your choice of lender and type of mortgage will be limited.

You will also usually have to pay a higher mortgage rate than if you had a ‘good’ credit record.


What is a flexible mortgage?
This is a type of mortgage which means you can make overpayments, underpayments, take a payment holiday and borrow back money without any penalties.

The main reason borrowers take out this type of mortgage is so they can overpay on the mortgage and clear it as quickly as possible saving them interest over the longer mortgage period.