Compare Loans For Homeowners
What Types Of Loan Are There?
The repayment terms will set out any interest to be charged and the timeframe for the loan to be repaid. According to HMRC “Central to the idea of a loan is that it involves one person (the creditor) agreeing to lend money to another (the debtor) in consideration of promise to repay that sum on demand or at some future point or on condition of some event happening.
A loan usually, but not always involves the payment of interest by the debtor”.
Types of Loan
There are many different types of monetary loan and below we have outlined different ways you can borrow.
Overdraft
Most current accounts offer an overdraft facility which provides a way of borrowing within set parameters. An overdraft can be authorised or unauthorised. An authorised overdraft agreed with the bank in advance allows you to draw money on your current account up to agreed amount. A fee and set rate of interest may be charged on this borrowing.
With an unauthorised overdraft the bank will charge significant fees and rate of interest. An overdraft facility can be withdrawn by the bank at any time. An overdraft is suitable for short term cash flow issues and is not a long term borrowing solution as the charges can be relatively high.
Unsecured Loans
Unsecured loans means that the lender relies on your promise to pay it back. As the lender requires no security they are taking a greater risk than say with a secured loan. In this respect lenders will often have strict lending requirements.
These requirements may mean unsecured loan rates are only offered to those with good credit records; loans may be for shorter time periods and there may be inflexibility about repaying your loan off early. The maximum loan you can borrow will often be limited – while there is no set maximum many unsecured loan deals in the UK will offer up to £15,000 for a repayment term of no more than 10 years. Many lenders will only provide unsecured loans to homeowners. For lenders who are more flexible in their selection criteria expect to pay higher rates of interest.
Secured Loans
A secured loan is a loan which is tied to an asset e.g. your home and in the event of failure to keep up repayments a lender has the right to force the sale of the asset. A mortgage is an example of a secured loan. As the lender has the safety net of your asset as security interest rates are often lower than unsecured loans, and many lenders will allow you to repay the loan early without penalty although you should always check the small print carefully before you sign any loan agreement. Secured loans are suitable for larger amounts and longer repayment terms.
Secured loan rates can vary significantly from one lender to the next so shop around or use a loan broker to help you get the best deal.
Bridging Loans
A bridging loan is a form of secured loan where the loan period is usually no longer than 9 to 12 months. Bridging loan finance is often used for short term funding requirements such as buying property at auctions, property development, breaking mortgage chains or buy to let purchases. This type of loan finance is typically for sums of £25,000 or more and the lender will normally require first charge over the asset being secured.
For bridging finance over £50,000 go to our sister site Clifton Private Finance.
Other Types of Loan
Credit Union Loans
Credit Unions are mutual financial organisations run and owned by members for members. Credit Unions typically provide saving schemes for members but sometimes also offer loans to members. The APR on loans cannot exceed 26.80% by law. These schemes are regulated by the FSA.
Payday Loans
Payday loans are short term loans typically for 30 day terms, where small amounts can be borrowed in advance of your salary. This type of loan can provide a useful service for unexpected bills giving access to cash at short notice, but this type of borrowing is one of the most expensive. Late payment costs can be very high and so this type of borrowing should only be used as a last resort and only if you understand the costs and charges involved.
Logbook loans
A logbook loan is a loan secured on your car or other vehicle. As part of obtaining a loan you will be required to give your vehicle registration document over to the lender and sign a bill of sale document. The lender effectively becomes the owner of your car although you can use the car as long as the loan repayments are met. With this type of loan the APR will be high and if you fall behind on repayments your vehicle may be sold (the lender will not have to go to court to do this). With this type of loan you need to be very aware of your responsibilities under the agreement.
Pawnbrokers
In these austere times many people are reverting to pawnbrokers to realise cash. This type of loan is provided in exchange for a valuable item. Normally you have approximately 6 months to repay the loan and any interest charged. If you cannot repay the loan by the deadline the pawnbroker may sell the item.
How Much Can You Borrow?
It is important that you do a proper budgeting exercise taking into account you incomings and outgoings taking into account the possibility of interest rises and increases in the cost of living as well as other factors such as the likelihood of losing your job or changes to your overall income e.g. if you start a family.
While there is a greater onus on lenders to lend responsibly you will ultimately need to consider what level of borrowing is appropriate for your circumstances. In assessing affordability lenders will take into account your income and outgoings and your current employment history. In calculating disposable income your total income will be taken into account less other debts you may have and living expenses.
The lender considering your loan application will have their own method of assessing affordability but it makes sense to do your own budgeting calculations to ensure the monthly repayment requirement is well within your budget.
Credit Scoring
As part of the loan application process lenders in determining whether they will lend you the money you require will carry out a credit scoring exercise.
Each lender will have their own credit scoring process but will typically take into account the information you provide in the application as well as any existing information they may have about you and what information is contained in your credit report which is held by an external agency. In gathering all this information the lender will determine a points score which may or may not qualify you for the loan you have applied for. If the points score is not high enough you may be turned down for the loan; offered a smaller loan; or offered the loan but on higher interest terms. A number of credit agencies offer free credit reports for the first 30 days to encourage you to use their services.
In recent times lenders as part of the drive for more responsible lending will also look at the number of times you have applied for credit within set timescales.
What Is A Good Credit Score To Get A Loan
Each lender will have their own credit scoring process but will typically take into account the information you provide in the application as well as any existing information they may have about you and what information is contained in your credit report which is held by an external agency.
In gathering all this information the lender will determine a points score which may or may not qualify you for the loan you have applied for. If the points score is not high enough you may be turned down for the loan; offered a smaller loan; or offered the loan but on higher interest terms.
The point of this exercise is to try and predict your future behaviour based on your past behaviour, so if you have been out of the UK for some time but have always had a good borrowing record you could find that lenders are not prepared to give you a loan or at least a loan at a market leading rate because they cannot measure the risk lending you money.
A number of credit agencies offer free credit reports for the first 30 days to encourage you to use their services.
Our secured homeowner loan service offers loans for any purpose, from making home improvements, taking the trip of a lifetime, consolidating your existing debts, getting married or helping the kids buy their first home.
With most unsecured loans you can typically borrow up to about £25,000 with a maximum repayment period from 5 to 10 years, but with a secured homeowner loan, you can borrow a lot more and over a longer period.
Homeowner Loan Representative Example:
The Representative APRC is 5.9%. Based on an assumed loan amount of £48,000 (including broker fee of £2,505 & product fee of £495) over 240 months at an interest rate of 5% (varaible). Monthly repayment £316.78 & total repayable £76,027.20.