The Journal
Clear answers on mortgages, property and protection.
Written by Nathan Lawes, an independent, whole-of-market mortgage broker working with clients in the UK and abroad. Each article answers one real question, with sourced, dated figures and the risks set out plainly.
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- topic guide
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What is a second charge mortgage?
A second charge mortgage lets you raise money against your home without disturbing your existing mortgage. Here is how it works, what it costs, and when it may be worth considering.
Topic guides
One subject at a time, in reading order.
Each guide starts with the short answer, then takes you through the articles in the order that makes sense.
Protection
Life cover, income protection and what policies actually pay.Guide coming soon- Who insures a leasehold flat?
- Rebuild cost and market value are different numbers
- Level or decreasing cover for a repayment mortgage?
- What death in service covers, and where it stops
Commercial
Business premises, semi-commercial and personal guarantees.Guide coming soon- Personal guarantees on commercial mortgages — what they mean
- Semi-commercial: buying a shop with a flat above
- Buying your business premises with a commercial mortgage
- Commercial Mortgage for Small Business Owners What Lenders Actually Want
Self-employed
How lenders read accounts, dividends and irregular income.Guide coming soon- Foreign Income Mortgage UK: What Lenders Actually Accept
- How Musicians and Creative Professionals Can Get a Mortgage With Irregular Income
- Director salary and dividends the mortgage calculation lenders use
- Self-employed mortgage why your accountants advice might cost you
Buy-to-let
Personal or limited company, rental cover, portfolio reviews.Guide coming soon- What landlord insurance actually covers
- Buy-to-let portfolio review: what landlords check first
- Buy-to-Let Limited Company Mortgages: The Lender Reality Check
- Limited Company BTL: Is It Still Worth It?
First-time buyers
Deposits, overseas income and getting to an offer.Guide coming soonLiving abroad
UK mortgages for expats and foreign nationals.Guide coming soonBridging
What bridging costs, how long it takes, development finance.Guide coming soon
The archive
All articles, newest first.
- Second chargeWhat is a second charge mortgage?
- Second chargeCan you borrow against your home without remortgaging?
- Equity releaseFinding an equity release adviser you can trust
- Equity releaseEquity release: the benefits, the costs and the alternatives
- CommercialPersonal guarantees on commercial mortgages — what they mean
- CommercialSemi-commercial: buying a shop with a flat above
- CommercialBuying your business premises with a commercial mortgage
- Buy-to-letWhat landlord insurance actually covers
- ProtectionWho insures a leasehold flat?
- ProtectionRebuild cost and market value are different numbers
- ProtectionLevel or decreasing cover for a repayment mortgage?
- ProtectionWhat death in service covers, and where it stops
- ProtectionPutting life cover in trust: what it does, and what it doesn't
- Second chargeDo you need your mortgage lender's permission for a second charge?
- Second chargeDebt consolidation with a second charge: what the total cost actually looks like
- ProtectionIncome Protection: the Insurance Many Mortgage Holders Skip
- First-time buyersFirst Time Buyer Overseas Income UK: Your Path to Approval
- Living abroadCan You Get a UK Mortgage While Living in Spain What Expats Need to Know
- Self-employedForeign Income Mortgage UK: What Lenders Actually Accept
- Living abroadExpat Mortgage UK: How to Buy or Invest While Living Abroad
- Second chargeSecond Charge Mortgage or Remortgage to Borrow More?
- RemortgageRemortgage Solicitor Fees: What You Actually Pay and When
- CommercialCommercial Mortgage for Small Business Owners What Lenders Actually Want
- Self-employedHow Musicians and Creative Professionals Can Get a Mortgage With Irregular Income
- BridgingHow much does a bridging loan cost?
- BridgingHow to structure development finance when the rate picture is uncertain
- BridgingThe Developer's Bridge: When Speed Costs Less Than Delay
- CommercialWhy Developers Keep Hitting the Same Funding Wall
- Self-employedDirector salary and dividends the mortgage calculation lenders use
- Self-employedSelf-employed mortgage why your accountants advice might cost you
- First-time buyersHow Much You Can Borrow for a Mortgage Is Not a Number
- RemortgageThe seven-week window: why remortgaging early still pays
- Buy-to-letBuy-to-let portfolio review: what landlords check first
- First-time buyersWhy Your Credit Score Looks Different to Every Lender
- Buy-to-letBuy-to-Let Limited Company Mortgages: The Lender Reality Check
- First-time buyersThe Real Cost of Buying in London — What the Calculators Don't Tell You
- Living abroadGetting a UK Mortgage as a Foreign National
- Self-employedComplex Income, Clear Path: Mortgages for the Self-Employed
- Living abroadBuying UK Property from Abroad — What You Need to Know
- RatesThe Base Rate Has Moved — Here's What It Actually Means for You
- Buy-to-letLimited Company BTL: Is It Still Worth It?
- EditorialWhy I built this, and how I think about it.
- Buy-to-letLtd Company vs Personal Name for Buy-to-Let.
Showing 8 of 43 articles
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Lawes Financial Limited (FRN 1046161) is an appointed representative of Andrew Charles Consulting Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 304904).
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.