Mortgage & Protection Guides

The Bank of England held the Bank Rate at 3.75% on Thursday 17 September. That is the sixth hold of 2026, and the rate has now sat at 3.75% since December last year. At Drummonds Finance Group, we have spent this week fielding calls from clients whose fixed rates end over the winter, and the question is always the same one: do I move now or wait and see? This is what the decision actually changes, and what it does not. The headline is dull. What sits underneath it is not. The

Shared ownership gets people onto the ladder, but it is staircasing that gets them up it. If you own a share of your home and pay rent on the rest, staircasing is the process of buying additional shares from your housing association, reducing the rent as you go and, in most cases, eventually owning the property outright. It is one of the most common questions shared owners bring to us at Drummonds Finance Group, usually in the form "is it actually worth it?". The mechanics ar

Around half of the first-time buyers we help at Drummonds Finance Group have some family money in their deposit, and the proportion keeps rising as prices in areas like Oxford and Bicester stay well above the national average. Lenders are entirely comfortable with gifted deposits. What trips people up is not the gift itself but the paperwork and checks around it, which tend to arrive as a surprise partway through a purchase. This guide explains what actually counts as a gift,

How Long After a Default or CCJ Can You Get a Mortgage? When people ask us about getting a mortgage with bad credit, the question is almost never really "can I?". It is "how long do I have to wait?". And the honest answer is that there is no single waiting period, because lenders do not treat adverse credit as one thing. A £150 default on a mobile phone contract from four years ago and a £6,000 CCJ registered last month are completely different cases, even though both technic

Life does not always follow the plan you had when you bought your home. A new job in another city, moving in with a partner, working abroad for a couple of years, or a property that will not sell in the current market. Whatever the reason, a lot of homeowners find themselves asking the same question: can I rent my house out while it is still on a residential mortgage? The short answer is not without your lender's permission. The longer answer involves something called consent

If you are partway through a good fixed-rate deal and thinking about moving, one of the first questions worth asking is whether you can take that mortgage with you. The answer, in many cases, is yes. It is called porting, and when it is done properly it can save you thousands of pounds in early repayment charges. When it is done badly, or assumed rather than checked, it can derail a purchase at the worst possible moment. At Drummonds Finance Group, we arrange porting mortgage

A lot has changed very quickly for UK mortgage borrowers over the past six weeks. Since the US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on 28 February 2026, mortgage rates have jumped, hundreds of products have been pulled from the market and the Bank of England rate cuts that everyone was expecting have been put on hold. If you are coming to the end of a fixed-rate deal, thinking about remortgaging, or trying to buy a home right now, this guide explains what is happ

If you have just received a letter from The Mortgage Lender telling you your fixed rate is coming to an end, do not panic. But do act quickly. This guide walks you through your options, what happens if you do nothing, and how to make sure you do not end up paying more than you should. First Things First: Why Has TML Written to You? The Mortgage Lender is required to let you know when your mortgage deal is coming to an end. They will typically write to you at least one month b

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial commitments most people will ever make. Yet for all the time spent comparing mortgage rates, reviewing solicitor quotes and saving for a deposit, protection is often the last thing people think about, and sometimes not at all. At Drummonds Finance Group, we speak to homeowners and buyers across Oxford, Bicester and the UK every week. One of the most consistent things we find is that people either have no protection in place, or th

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

Summary: Mortgages for flats above shops offer convenience and passive income. But they are harder to secure due to higher fire risk, noise, mixed-use classification, and lower demand. Improve approval chances by using a specialist broker, offering a larger deposit, and providing clear lease details early. ---------------------------------- Are you a businessman who is looking for a passive income, or operate your shop while living in the same building? Then, mortgages above

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

These are the questions we get asked most often at Drummonds Finance Group. Some are from first-time buyers just starting out. Some are from landlords, people coming off fixed rates or borrowers who have hit a wall somewhere in the process. We have tried to answer each one properly rather than just giving you a vague two-line response. If your specific situation is not covered here, call us and we will give you a straight answer. 1. How much can I borrow? Most lenders use a m

If you have ever considered buying a flat in a block with cladding, you already know how confusing the EWS1 situation can be. Some people say you need it. Some say you do not. Some say it is impossible to get. Others say their mortgage sailed through without anyone mentioning it. So, what is actually true in 2026, and can you still get a mortgage without this form? Let’s clear it all up in simple, friendly language. So What Is the EWS1 Form and Why Does Everyone Mention It An

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

If your mortgage deal is coming to an end, you are in good company. Thousands of homeowners across Oxford, Bicester and the wider UK are facing the same decision right now: do you fix again, jump on a tracker, or sit tight and see what happens? It is one of the most common questions we get at Drummonds Finance Group, and the honest answer is that it depends on your circumstances. But there is a lot we can explain about the current market and what each option actually means fo

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

It’s Not Just About Salary Let’s be honest, applying for a mortgage can be a confusing process. One of the first things a lender will ask...