Mortgage Jargon Terms Used in Mortgage
The property market is no less than a field of study with important terminologies you should make yourself familiar with. Whether you are looking for a first-time buyer mortgage or wish to remortgage your house, it is advisable to know the jargon terms used by mortgage brokers, financial advisors, mortgage lenders, property dealers, and all other parties operating in the market.
Most of the first-time buyer are not aware of the meaning of the terms used. We try to put them in simple words make it easy to understand.
Here are some of the most common and important jargon terms you should know and remember as you apply for a mortgage to purchase your new house:
Agreement In Principle
Mortgage in principle, Decision in principle or Agreement in principle. MIP, DIP or AIP. refers to preapproval of your mortgage from mortgage lender which tells you roughly how much you may be able to borrow. While it is an estimate and does not guarantee the mortgage approval on submission of full mortgage application, you can give a copy of Agreement in Principle to estate agent letting them know you are serious about property purchase and you are mortgage ready.
Adverse Credit
Adverse credit is a term used to refer to credit history with late payment, miss payments resulting in defaults or county court judgement (CCJ) Adverse credit or bad credit are used for those who have poor history of making payments on time resulting in low credit score. Your credit history plays a big role in mortgage application approval. Always check your credit report for details of adverse. It is applicable for people with a history of defaults, late payments, and other activities reducing their credit scores.
Annual Percentage Rate Charge (APRC)
Annual percentage rate charge (APRC) is an indication of the overall cost of a mortgage throughout its whole term, including set-up costs like product fee and the total interest to be paid by the borrower including fix rate and variable rate. Lenders calculate APRC as if the borrowers will keep the entire loan amount with themselves for the entire term. Homebuyers compare mortgage deals offered by different lenders based on the APRC to choose the most cost-effective option.
Arrears
Mortgage arrears meaning, in simple words, is you are behind or missed payments on mortgage. Most of the lender consider 2 late payments as arrears. They affect your credit score and stay on your credit history for 6 years making it difficult for you to remortgage.
Architects Certificate
This is a document issued by an architect that shows their involvement in the design and building of a property. This is an important certificate to have if you want to purchase a new-build property on a mortgage. It is either issued by a surveyor or a chartered architect. It is likely for a newly built property to have no track record. When your mortgage lender sees the architect’s certificate, they ensure that the property you want to purchase is designed as per the current acceptable standards. Lenders may reject mortgage applications if they do not obtain this document or any similar document.
Arrangement Fee
This is fees charge by mortgage lender at the time of mortgage application if you choose to take mortgage with them. The fees are charge for the admin work to setting up mortgage on property. Sometime these fees are known as product fees. Most lenders will allow you to add this to mortgage application or you can pay it off upfront to save on interest.
Arrangement fees can be calculated in two ways. Lender will have a fixed amount of fees charge or they will charge in percentage of the loan. For example, on loan of £200000 your fixed arrangement fees would be £999 or 1% of the loan amount which is £2000. The fees amount will reflect the mortgage rate. In most cases higher the fees lower the rates are on mortgage.
Not every mortgage has a arrangement fees. Some mortgage has no product fees but higher interest rate. Your mortgage broker can advise you while comparing the best mortgage for you weather you should take mortgage with higher fees or no fees.
Bank Base Rate
Earlier known as the Bank Rate, the Bank Base Rate refers to the interest rate set by the Bank of England. Commonly known as Bank of England base rate.
This rate influences the interest rates offered by mortgage lenders operating in the market as they decide the fixed rate mortgage depend on base rate. The base rate is reviewed every month but not change every month. Bank of England will decide if they will increase the rate or reduce the rate depend on the overall economy of the country.
Broker Fee
As the name suggests, the broker fee is the fee charged by mortgage brokers for their services. These fees are charged to borrowers for helping them find the most suitable mortgage deals and to mortgage lenders for connecting them to the right homebuyers.
Not all the mortgage brokers will charge this fees. If you are looking for professional help, it is advisable to look for fee-free mortgage or remortgage brokers. These brokers do not charge fees for mortgage advice.
Capital & Interest Mortgage
Also known as a repayment mortgage. Repayment mortgage are the type of mortgage where your monthly payments are made of total mortgage interest as well as a specific percentage of the actual loan repayment.
The aim of repayment mortgage is to pay off mortgage in full with in the term of the mortgage. With repayment mortgages in early years, you pay off more of mortgage interest and less of the outstanding loan amount. But over long term your interest charge goes down and loan payments are increase.
Capped Rate Mortgage
Capped rate mortgage is a mortgage where the interest rates fluctuate but do not cross a maximum limit. As the name suggests, the mortgage here is capped at a specific rate, giving assurance to the mortgage buyers regarding their repayments.
Cashback Mortgage
As the name suggests, a cashback mortgage involves the borrower receiving a lump sum of the loan’s money in cash after completing the agreement. This is often a specific percentage of the total mortgage value. You can get a cashback mortgage for both variable rate and standard rate deals. Different deals and mortgage lenders have different LTV requirements to make such an arrangement.
Generally, the cashback you receive depends on your mortgage’s size and the maximum amount you can borrow on a deal. Your mortgage broker will help you compare different deals based on the cashback you receive, ensuring that you choose the most suitable option. Always remember your cashback mortgage may sound good option but the interest rate charge is usually higher on this mortgage. Always ask your mortgage broker who would compare the mortgage for you.
CCJ
CCJ stands for Count Court Judgement. It is a court order issued against an individual for failing to make credit repayments. It plays an important role when you apply for a new mortgage. Conventionally, getting a mortgage with CCJ is difficult.
However, you can get a mortgage with bad credit if you approach specialised lenders. Depend on the time of the CCJ register and the amount of the CCJ lender may approved your mortgage application. If you are facing such issues, you can work with your local mortgage broker to find lenders who help borrowers with CCJ.
Conveyancing
Conveyancing is the legal process while buying or selling a property that ensures that the ownership of the property is successfully transferred from the seller/owner to the buyer. This work is carried out by licensed conveyancer or a solicitor.
Conveyancing also makes sure that all parties involved are aware of all small and big details regarding the transfer. It lets the buyer clearly know if there are any restrictions or limitations to the way the property needs to be used. It involves the creation and exchange of legal contracts that bring the buyers and the sellers on the same page. This prevents any misunderstandings or confusion from arising in the future.
Contract Exchange
Contract is a document that outlines the agreement under which a property will be sold to new buyers. It should contain details of conditions that are attached to the sale of the property. What should be left in property or not left in property at the time of sale is mentioned in the contracts.
When both the party’s buyer and seller are happy with the contract, they sign the contract and swap through conveyancer or solicitor. Once contract is exchange then it is legally binding that buyer and seller will not pull out. At the time of the contract exchange the buyer usually put down 10% deposit as a security. Which he may lose if they pull out and not complete the sale. The exchange will protect the buyer if the seller backs out.
Completion
Completion is the most awaited moment in buying and selling of the property. The completion means end of the buying process on which new buyer gets the key to the property. Property purchase and sell can be long and stressful process, when the completion is done every involve, party get sense of relief.
On the day of exchange of contract all involve party agrees the completion date. Then buyer will pay rest of the deposit to solicitor and solicitor request the funds from lender. On completion day seller is paid for the property and handover the keys to estate agent. Your agent will meet you at the property to handover the keys. Completion day and moving day can be same. Unless buyer has plan for some work in new property they can move inn on same day as completion.
Credit Check
A credit check is the process of assessing a homebuyer’s credit history and calculating their credit scores. Mortgage lenders conduct a credit check while processing their clients’ applications to understand their affordability and information about bad credit they may have.
If client do not pass the credit score required as per mortgage lender requirements, then they will decline the mortgage application.
Defaults
Defaults means when mortgage borrowers fail to make payments to their lenders. Whatever the reason may be, a missed mortgage payments or falling behind will be led to a mortgage default. If the number and duration of defaults increase, you risk losing your property.
Debt Consolidation
This is the process of paying off multiple smaller debts by taking out a single large debt. Debt consolidation is carried out to prevent a borrower from managing multiple debts and streamlining the repayment process.
Discounted Rate Mortgage
Discounted rate mortgage is a mortgage where the lender offers a reduction against Standard Variable Rate (SVR). The discount rate mortgage is set for defined period by lender which follows bank standard variable rate which could go up or down.
Early Repayment Charges
These are the charges incurred by mortgage borrowers if they decide to close their mortgage deals before the end of the term. This can involve a borrower ending a deal before their fixed term ends or before a date set by the lender by repaying the mortgage in full. Not all the mortgage has a early repayment charges. Some lenders do offer tracker rate mortgage without ERC.
Mortgage lenders allow borrowers to overpay 10% of outstanding loan in one year. But if borrower make overpayment more than 10 % then it could trigger the ERC. People often end up incurring these costs while remortgaging their properties or while selling property.
Energy Performance Certificate
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a certificate that denotes the energy efficiency of a house. It involves a grading system where every property is graded for its energy efficiency. It is important for property owners to keep these certificates before selling or leasing their properties. They also help homebuyers assess how eco-friendly a property is and what utility bills they can expect before purchasing new properties.
Equity
Equity is term use for your share in property after you purchase it with deposit. If you buy a house for £200000 and had put 10% deposit, then your share of equity is £20000. Over the time you will pay off the mortgage, as you pay off the mortgage your equity will increase from 10% to 20% or more.
Property prices do rise over the period which will increase the equity in property. For example, your purchase price was £200000 and 10% deposit but if the property price gone up to £300000 then your equity is £300000 minus outstanding mortgage. Many people will free up this equity called equity release while remortgaging for many purposes as home improvement or additional property purchase.
Fixed Rate Mortgage
As the name suggests, a fixed-rate mortgage is a mortgage where the interest rate is fixed for a specific period of time. At the end of the fixed term mortgage rate will change to standard variable rate off that lender which is higher rate. Mortgage borrowers often find a mortgage broker and switch to new mortgage rate once the fixed term on their mortgage ends. This type of mortgages is preferred by many as the monthly mortgage payment remain the same or entire fix term. During the fixed term mortgage if bank of England base rate goes up or down your fixed rate wont change till the term ends.
Freehold
Freehold is the Property ownership type where you own property and the land it is built on. This type of ownership has no time limit or restriction you can own the property.
Freehold is often compared with leasehold, a different form of ownership where an individual owns the rights to a property for a specific time period. Leasehold, as opposed to freehold, does not extend to the land a property is built.
This type of property are preferred by home buyer than leasehold property. A common example a semi-detached house can be freehold whereas block of flats are leasehold as the owner do not own the land hence here, people have ownership rights to the flats for a specific period of time.
Further Advance Mortgage
Further advance is referred to the additional loan your mortgage lender gives you, apart from your existing mortgage amount. Borrowers take this loan after their key mortgage is completed. Just like the mortgage, a further advance is secured against the property you own.
Further advance can be taken for many reason as deposit for property purchase or home extension. People often assume that a further advance is like remortgaging. However, this is not the case. A further advance allows you to retain your existing mortgage and borrow an additional amount at a different term and rate. When you remortgage home, your existing mortgage ends and you switch to a new deal without the additional debt burden.
Ground Rent
Ground rent is paid by a leaseholder to a landowner know as freeholder. It is charge paid for the land on it the block of flat is built. Ground rent usually payable by flat owner as they are leasehold properties. Ground rent can be fixed, or it can be increasing. Most lender do prefer the fixed ground rent than increasing.
Initial Disclosure Document (IDD)
An initial disclosure document (IDD) is a document use to give information about the fees and charges from lenders and mortgage brokers. This document helps client compare different services and charges offered by a different lender. IDD was introduce by financial conduct authority allowing mortgage borrowers to receive all necessary information about the fees and charges they receive.
Such documents support mortgage borrowers (especially first-time buyers) to understand cost involve in their search for the best mortgage they are going to go for. IDD cover all important details related to a mortgage offering, including the fees charged by the concerned lender and the broker firm. IDDs also make it easier for mortgage borrowers to compare different financial products offered by different lenders in the market.
Interest-only Mortgage
An interest-only mortgage is a mortgage where the monthly payments only cover the interest payable on the loan. They do not reduce the actual loan amount, which needs to be repaid in full in the future at the end of the term. Most buy to let mortgage are taken on interest only mortgage to keep the maximum cash flow. Most mortgage borrowers go for repayment mortgage as they want their mortgage to be paid off end of the term. Those who are on interest only mortgage need to have a repayment plan in place to pay off the mortgage at the end of the term.
Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor Mortgage (JBSP)
A joint borrower sole proprietor (JBSP) mortgage is a mortgage deal that lets a borrower’s family member contribute to their mortgage without being the property’s co-owner. Which means the family member name is not on the title on land registry. This is an ideal option for young homebuyers entering the property ladder. Such a mortgage deal gives young borrowers the opportunity to own their own properties while being supported by their loved ones.
Being flexible, a JBSP mortgage can allow the concerned parent or relative to reduce their contribution to the mortgage until the young homebuyer becomes capable of making repayments.
You should know that a JBSP mortgage is different from a joint mortgage. While a joint mortgage leads to of the property owns jointly a JBSP mortgage does not make the parent or family member the property’s co-owner.
Key Facts Illustration (KFI)
Key facts illustration (KFI) refers to a document that gives you valuable information about your mortgage you are applying for. A KFI has an information about the mortgage rate, monthly mortgage payments and any fees involve. KFI allows borrowers to compare multiple mortgage deals offered by different lenders.
It is also called the European Standardisation Information Sheet (ESIS). While KFI is vital document in mortgage as it has a key information about the mortgage which borrower can rely on before mortgage application is made. KFI helps mortgage borrower to compare different mortgage to make the right choice.
Loan-To-Value
Loan-to-value (LTV) refers to the size of a loan expressed as a percentage of the property’s value. LTV is nothing but the size of your mortgage as compared to the value of the property you want to purchase. For example, if a property is price is £100,000 and you have deposit of £20000 which means you borrow a mortgage of £80,000, the LTV here would be 80% and 20% is deposit.
Many first-time buyers will have higher LTV as they have less deposit saved compare to buy to let investor will have 75% LTV as buy to let needs deposit of 20%. Higher the loan to value means higher the mortgage rates and lower the loan to value means lower the mortgage rates.
Land Certificate
Issued by the Land Registry, this is a document proving who owns a property or a piece of land. If a property is given on a mortgage, its land certificate will be replaced by a charge certificate. This implies that someone other than the property’s owner has an interest in purchasing it. However, this certificate is no longer in practice since the Land Registration Act of 2002. Now, owners can look for land titles to prove their ownership of a property or a piece of land. While people still with a Land Certificate can keep their ownership, the law does not recognise the same.
Leasehold
Leasehold properties are where the land on which property stand does not belong to property owner. For example, flats are leasehold. leasehold property involves a freeholder providing the ownership of the property to an individual on a lease. Here, the freeholder is also known as the landlord. The landlord gives their property on a lease for a specific number of years to leaseholders. Flats are leasehold properties, and the leaseholder owns the property but not a land. These leases are often given for a longer period of time, ideally ranging from 99 to 125 years which can be extended.
Mortgage Discharge
Mortgage discharge is when borrower pay off mortgage in full. Generally, it is done at the end of the term, but some borrowers do that early when they have a funds to do that. When property is bought on mortgage the lender registers a charge on property with land registry as they have a interest in property. When the mortgage is paid in full then concerned lender, ending their legal claim on the borrower’s property. It is a document that indicates that a borrower’s mortgage is paid in full and only borrowers name remain on tittle deed.
It is important to note that your mortgage end after you make all your repayments. You need to go through an official process to discharge your mortgage and get your lender’s name removed. Usually, your lender do write to you and do the paperwork.
Maintenance Charges or Service Charge
Maintenance charges are the expenses you incur to repair and maintain your property. They are called service charges. They include all repair and maintenance costs related to the property’s external portions and indoor communal areas covering roof and any drainage. If the property has a lift, these charges will include its repair and maintenance costs, too.
Maintenance charges are required for flats as the leaseholder does not own the land thus pay the service charge to freeholder. To maintain all the common are in the building. The service charge is paid on monthly basic or every 6 months and paid in advance. The freeholder is responsible for the maintenance work of the building. Freeholder issue statement every year detailing these charges.
Mortgage Indemnity Insurance
Mortgage indemnity insurance is an insurance policy that protects a lender’s financial interests if they can no longer receive their mortgage repayments. While not all deals require this guarantee, mortgages with high LTV (loan-to-value) will require borrowers to get mortgage indemnity insurance. Normally, deals with more than 75% LTV are coupled with this insurance policy. While the functionality of mortgage indemnity insurance is similar to conventional insurance policies, it serves a completely opposite purpose. While other insurance policies give you financial cover in the case of losses, this policy requires you to provide financial cover to your mortgage lender.
Mortgage-Porting
Mortgage-porting is the process of moving your existing mortgage from one property to another. It allows you to keep your mortgage rate even when you shift to a new property. One of the many benefits of porting your mortgage is that it lets you stay with the same lender. If you are shifting to a new house fairly early and your lender may ask for early repayment charges to close the deal, mortgage-porting will help you save a on early repayment charges.
Not all mortgages are portable, lenders may have a restriction if you can port the mortgage to new property. Mortgage porting is very convenient which allows borrower to move house even if they are in fixed term mortgage, without triggering early repayment charges.
Mortgage-Underwriting
When mortgage application is made to lender, they will make certain checks and assessments before approving your mortgage application. This process is called mortgage underwriting. It involves your mortgage lender verifying your occupation, income key in on the application, bank statements, credit commitments and other relevant details.
Underwriting allows lenders to confirm the income and outgoing declare while making an mortgage application, which help to assess the risk involved in lending to new borrower.
It is important to know that mortgage underwriting is not a passive process for you. You will be actively involved throughout the process as the lender may ask for specific documents whenever needed.
Mortgage Exit Fee
A mortgage exit fee is a fee a lender may charge at the end your mortgage, or if you choose to pay mortgage early before end of the fixed term. Borrowers also pay these fees when they reach the end of their original term or when they remortgage with different lenders.
Depending on the mortgage lender you work with, the mortgage exit fee can carry multiple names, such as the Deed release fees, repayment administration fee, discharge fee, closure fee, etc. Know the amount of exit fee charged by a lender and the regulations associated with the same before finalising your deal.
Mortgage exit fees and early repayment charges are not the same. Normally mortgage exit fees is up to £300, but ERC can be percentage of the loan.
Negative Equity
This is the situation wherein a property’s market value is lower than the value of the outstanding mortgage on it. Negative equity arises when a property’s price drops, making it fall below the value of its mortgage. This often puts borrowers in a tricky situation as they would still owe more after selling off their property.
For example, if property was purchasing price was £200000 and mortgage was £190000. If the property market goes down pushing the property price to £180000, that is £10000 negative equity.
Negative equity could impact your ability to remortgage to new lender or it also makes it difficult for you to switch to a new mortgage deal. Most mortgage lenders hesitate to deal with borrowers with negative equity.
Outstanding Balance
Outstanding balance refers to the total amount you need to repay for your mortgage at any point in time. It can be simply calculated by deducting the amount you have paid so far from the total amount borrowed.
For example, if you have taken a mortgage of £500,000 and paid off £300,000 so far, your outstanding balance will be £200,000. As a mortgage borrower, you should keep track of this balance and ensure that it does not pile up over time. Outstanding balance figure are needed at the time of remortgage or when you settle the mortgage.
Transfer of Equity
As the name suggests, transfer of equity is the process of changing the legal ownership of your property by adding or removing the name(s) of people from its title. It is a common misconception that transfer of equity involves monetary transfers.
Although the name may seem deceptive, it is important to note that the transfer of equity does not always involve any transfer of money. The most common cases where a transfer of equity takes place are the ones where a couple gets married or divorced.
Tenure
Tenure is a term used for the type of the ownership of the property. There are two major forms of ownership involved – freehold and leasehold. This determines the extent of your ownership of the house you live in.
Freehold Tenure
Freehold is the Property ownership type where you own property and the land it is built on. This type of ownership has no time limit or restriction you can own the property. Most of the houses are freehold. But saying that some of the houses are leasehold.
This type of property is preferred by home buyer than leasehold property. A common example is a semi-detached house can be freehold whereas block of flats is a leasehold as the flat owner do not own the land hence here, people have ownership rights to the flats for a specific period of time.
Leasehold Tenure
Leasehold properties are where the land on which property stand does not belong to property owner. For example, flats are leasehold. leasehold property involves a land owner or a freeholder providing the ownership of the property to an individual on a long lease. Here, the freeholder is also known as the landlord. The landlord gives their property on a lease for a specific number of years to leaseholders. Flats are leasehold properties, and the leaseholder owns the property but not a land. These leases are often given for a longer period of time, ideally ranging from 99 to 125 years which can be extended.
Total amount payable
As the name suggests, the total amount payable refers to the entire mortgage amount you need to pay to your mortgage lender. This is the sum total of the amount you borrowed, and the interest charged over the mortgage term. The longer your mortgage term is, the greater your total amount payable will be.
Your total amount payable will also depend on the type of mortgage deal you get. If you opt for a variable-rate mortgage, you may end up paying more if the interest rates increase until the end of your term. The total amount always include the fees associated with the mortgage.
Remortgage
Remortgaging is the process of switching from one mortgage deal to another. It involves closing one mortgage deal and opening another one with the same or different lender. People may choose to remortgage to reduce the interest paid, make home improvements, settle other debts, and other relevant reasons.
Variable Rate
This is an expression used to describe the fluctuating nature of the interest rates charged by mortgage lenders. These rates depend on the Bank of England base rate.
Valuation Fees
When you apply for a mortgage for a property you want to purchase or remortgage , the lender will value it to see how much it is worth. This allows them to justify the mortgage loan amount you are asking from them. The fees lenders charge to determine the value of the property is called a valuation fee.
Lenders often charge valuation fees before the property valuation takes place. Borrowers are informed about these fees when they apply for a mortgage on a new home purchase. Not all lenders charge valuation fees, in fact most lenders offer free valuations on remortgages and purchases. The fees charged may depend on the loan amount. Some lenders, like Halifax, charge flat valuation fess of £100 on your purchase application.
The valuation is carried out (only for mortgage purposes) to check if the property is worth the money paid. This means the surveyor won’t go into details about the condition of the property. If a home buyer needs the details’ condition survey of the property, then it is advisable to go for a homebuyer survey. This survey is usually more expensive, but it will give you a lot more details on the property’s condition.
The valuation fee ranges from £100 to £800, depending on the lender and the property price.
Valuation methods most lenders use,
Automated Valuation: This is an automated valuation model (AVM) the valuation can be carried out without visiting the property.
Desktop Valuation: Valuations are carried out on sales prices around the area with the help of local knowledge without a surveyor visiting the property.
Physical Valuation: The Valuer will visit the property and do a physical inspection of the property. They will also look for the market data and condition of the property.
These were a few important jargon terms you should keep in mind before you start the journey of purchasing a property. Make sure you work with a skilled and experienced mortgage broker to make a smooth and successful mortgage application.
Related Mortgage Guides
Mortgage Jargon Tenure
What is APRC
Agreement in principle


