All Mortgage Guides
Expert guidance for every stage of your mortgage journey.
Buying a home
Guides for first-time buyers, home movers, and shared ownership
First-Time Buyer Mortgage Guide
Complete first-time buyer mortgage guide. From saving a deposit to getting your keys — every step explained with expert guidance.
Home Mover Mortgage Guide
Moving home mortgage guide covering porting, chains, equity as deposit, and the full process from offer to completion.
Shared Ownership & Shared Equity Guide
Shared ownership and shared equity mortgage guide covering eligibility, staircasing, affordability, deposit requirements, and the application process.
Home Ownership Schemes Explained
Shared ownership, shared equity, Help to Buy, First Homes, Right to Buy — explained plainly. The five real ways to buy a home in the UK, which schemes are live where, and how to choose.
Remortgaging
Product switches, capital raising, and changing lender
Mortgage Product Switch vs Remortgage
Understand the difference between a mortgage product switch and a full remortgage. Step-by-step guide covering rates, affordability, costs, and when each option makes sense.
Remortgage with Additional Borrowing
Capital-raising remortgage guide covering journey planning, acceptable purposes, affordability rules, equity requirements, and document preparation.
Specialist mortgages
Second charge, equity release, and other specialist products
Second Charge Mortgage Guide
Second charge mortgage guide covering use cases, sourcing routes, affordability assessment, property criteria, credit expectations, and documentation.
Equity Release Mortgage Guide
Equity release guide covering eligibility, adviser sourcing, product features, affordability, property criteria, and safeguarding steps for later-life borrowers.
Core knowledge
Credit scoring, income evidence, deposits, property assessment, and stamp duty
Mortgage Credit Scoring Guide
How mortgage lenders use credit scores, what affects your score, and how to improve it before applying. Covers all mortgage types.
Income & Expenditure Evidence
What income evidence mortgage lenders need — employed, self-employed, contractor, and complex income. Document checklists and lender acceptance criteria.
Property Assessment Guide
What mortgage surveyors and valuers assess, types of property survey, and what issues can affect your mortgage offer.
Deposit Evidence Guide
How much deposit you need, acceptable sources, gifted deposits, cryptocurrency, and anti-money laundering checks for mortgage applications.
Stamp Duty Land Tax Guide
UK stamp duty land tax rates, first-time buyer relief, additional property surcharge, and how stamp duty affects your mortgage budget.
How Lenders Estimate Your Expenditure
Plain-English guide to how UK mortgage lenders model your monthly outgoings — what counts as essential, why bigger households spend more, and how Mortgage Compare estimates it.
Mortgage Broker vs Going Direct
Compare applying direct to a lender with using a mortgage broker. Understand fees, lender access, execution-only routes, broker incentives, and how to protect yourself.
How to Compare Mortgage Costs
Rate, monthly payment, cost over product term, cost over full term, fees and APRC explained — which number to trust when comparing mortgage deals, and what none of them show you.
2-Year vs 5-Year Fixed Mortgage
Compare 2-year and 5-year fixed mortgages, including rates, fees, flexibility, ERCs and LTV. Understand which fixed term could suit your circumstances.
Life, Critical Illness & Income Protection Insurance Guide
Honest guide to mortgage protection: life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection and mortgage payment protection insurance explained — what each actually covers, realistic costs, and where payment protection has been mis-sold.