Mortgage & Protection Guides

There is a conversation we have most weeks. Someone tells us they earn £58,000. We look at the payslips and their basic salary is £41,000. The rest is bonus, commission, overtime or shift enhancements. Both numbers are true. The problem is that lenders do not treat them as the same thing, and the gap between the two can decide whether a purchase works. At Drummonds Finance Group, we handle variable income cases every week for employed borrowers across the UK. This guide expla

Hundreds of thousands of interest-only mortgages taken out in the late 1990s and 2000s are now reaching the end of their terms, and a lot of the people holding them are discovering that the repayment plan they had in mind, an endowment, an investment, a future property sale, has not quite delivered what was expected. If you have had a letter from your lender reminding you that your term is ending and the balance is due, this guide explains what actually happens next and what

Applying for a mortgage can feel overwhelming, especially when lenders start asking for documents. Knowing what is required in advance can make the process far smoother and reduce delays or stress. While exact requirements vary between lenders and individual circumstances, most mortgage applications in the UK follow a similar structure. Below is a clear guide to the documents you are likely to need and why lenders ask for them. Proof of income Proof of income is one of the mo

If you are self-employed and trying to get a mortgage, you have probably heard something along the lines of "it is harder for you than someone who is employed." That is partially true, but it is also a bit misleading. The reality is that self-employed mortgages are not harder; they are just different. The lender is doing the same assessment; they just need to look at your income differently. And how they do that varies enormously from one lender to the next. This guide explai

Getting onto the property ladder has never been easy, and for a lot of young buyers right now, it is genuinely hard. Mortgage affordability is tight, property prices in areas like Oxford and Bicester are well above the national average, and saving a deposit while paying rent takes years. Many parents want to help, but going on the deeds of their child's property brings its own complications. A joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, which solves this problem neatly, lets you

Buying a home is exciting, but it can also feel confusing with all the jargon you come across. Two phrases that often cause a bit of head scratching are Mortgage in Principle and Full Mortgage Offer. They sound similar, but they mean very different things, and it is worth understanding the difference so you know where you stand in the buying process. What is a Mortgage in Principle? A Mortgage in Principle, sometimes called an Agreement in Principle or Decision in Principle,

Many people assume that once you hit your 60s, your chances of getting a mortgage drop dramatically. In reality, age isn’t the barrier...

Planning to invest in a House in Multiple Occupation in Oxford? Here’s what to expect and how to finance it properly. What will be...

If you are considering buying a rental property, one of the first decisions you face is whether to purchase it in your personal name or through a limited company. It is a question we get asked regularly at Drummonds Finance Group, and there is no universal right answer. What works well for one landlord can be the wrong structure for another. This guide explains the key differences from both a mortgage and a tax perspective so you can have a more informed conversation with you

If you have bad credit and you're wondering whether getting a mortgage is even worth attempting, the short answer is yes, and a broker is almost always the right starting point. Bad credit does not automatically close the door on homeownership or remortgaging. What it does is narrow the field of suitable lenders, and that is precisely where a specialist broker adds the most value. What Counts as Bad Credit? Bad credit is not a single thing. It covers a wide spectrum of credit