Welcome to our blogs which relate to the financial services you may be interested in from mortgages to pensions; protection to auto-enrolment and many more. So why not grab a drink and enjoy the read.
It is hardly a secret that young people face significant barriers on their way to purchasing their first home. Quite apart from prohibitive house prices and stringent affordability criteria, a lack of understanding of how the mortgage process works is also holding them back. According to a survey by Paymentshield, 52% of adults aged 18–34 say they have a fairly
Some families have found it easier to save more than normal during the pandemic, due to reduced outgoings on things like commuting, holidays and entertainment. If you have a mortgage, overpaying is one option worth considering. Benefits of overpaying In a low-rate environment, savings rates are likely to be lower than your mortgage rate, so any overpayments are likely to
Divorce can be an incredibly stressful time for couples and the financial impact it can have only adds to the pressure. The number of couples getting divorced surged by almost a fifth in 2019. Although data for 2020 has not yet been released, after the strains of the last year or so, unfortunately, it would hardly be surprising if this
Anyone buying their first home from July 1, 2021, can get stamp duty relief at the same level as that before July 8, 2020. This is a discount to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder. This means you’ll pay: • Property purchase price up to £300,000 – zero per cent stamp duty • The portion from £300,001 to
With the introduction of the stamp duty holiday, the property market is booming, with sales in October up 52 per cent on last year, but property surveyors, mortgage lenders, conveyancing lawyers and local authorities are all now buckling under the sheer weight of demand. The current stamp duty holiday runs until 31st March 2021, so any house purchase will need
Due to construction delays caused by the pandemic, over the summer the government announced an extension to the Help to Buy equity loan deadline. Previously, new homes had to be finished by the end of December 2020, which has been extended to 28 February 2021, enabling homebuyers to benefit from the scheme despite the construction of their new homes being
The government introduced an immediate temporary Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday in England and Northern Ireland until 31 March 2021 by raising the threshold above which the main rate of SDLT is payable from £125,000 to £500,000. For second homes, the 3% additional rate will continue to apply. The Scottish Government has since announced that they have increased the
The Government has announced plans to proceed with the First Homes scheme aimed at helping more First-Time Buyers to step onto the property ladder. The scheme will lower deposit and mortgage requirements for local First-Time Buyers in England – with the discount applying to a proportion of the new home. The average price of a newly-built home in England is
We have recently launched a live chat facility on our website, meaning you can now contact us online! It will be available during office hours, and you can chat to one of our Mortgage & Protection Advisers directly. So, if you have any questions or queries relating to mortgages or protection, and you would prefer to contact to us online,
The changes to how rental income from buy to let properties continues to evolve and has moved into its next phase. Entry into a new tax year has prompted several questions from clients, so we thought it would be wise to recap on how you may be affected. As advised in previous newsletters, the deduction of finance costs, including mortgage