Occupier's Consent Form, what you need to know
If an adult lives in a mortgaged property but isn't on the mortgage, your lender will ask them to sign one. Here's why.
DS Financial
Knowledge hub
Straight-talking guides on mortgages, protection, and everything in between.
Mortgage Application
Conveyancing
Compare quotes from over 70 solicitors
Digital Move lets you compare prices and customer ratings across 70+ quality solicitors and conveyancers, all in one place.
Mortgage Application
The mortgage application process
A clear walkthrough of what happens after we submit your application, from underwriting checks to formal mortgage offer.
Moving Home
Porting your mortgage rate
Moving home and want to take your mortgage rate with you? Here's how porting works and the conditions to be aware of.
Mortgage Payments
What is the Mortgage Charter?
Launched in June 2023, the Charter sets out the support lenders should offer borrowers struggling with rising payments.
Protection
Private health insurance, the top 5 things you need to know
Five key questions to consider before taking out private health insurance for you and your family.
Protection
Why it's important to write a life policy into trust
Writing your life insurance into trust speeds up payouts and can shield the money from inheritance tax.
Protection
What is a 'demands & needs' letter?
The document insurance brokers use to confirm that the product recommended fits your unique circumstances.
Protection
Income protection: a vital safety net for your financial future
Most of us insure our cars and homes. But what about our income, the thing that pays for everything else?
Protection
Why consider private medical insurance: insights from the frontline
One in four UK GPs now has private medical insurance, citing record NHS waiting lists. Here's what that tells the rest of us.
Moving Home
Moving home: a complete guide
A practical, step-by-step guide to selling your home and buying the next one, covering equity, costs and porting your rate.
First-Time Buyers
First time buyers: a complete guide
Everything first-time buyers need to know, from budgeting and credit scores to surveys, conveyancing and EPCs.
Valuation
Desktop valuation (AVM)
What is an Automated Valuation Model, when do lenders use one, and how does it differ from a full survey?
Conveyancing
Solicitors' enquiries
What the conveyancing enquiries are, why they matter, and the ten questions most commonly asked during a UK property transaction.
Mortgage Payments
Why is my first mortgage payment higher?
Many first-time buyers are surprised by a larger payment in their first month. Here's a simple explanation of why.
Protection
Life insurance: a complete guide
The difference between level, decreasing and whole-of-life cover, what affects the cost, and how to decide who benefits.
Protection
Facing cancer care challenges: NHS struggles & private health insurance
As the NHS struggles to deliver timely cancer care, private health insurance is increasingly seen as a necessity.
Buy-to-Let
Consent to let
Renting out your home while keeping your residential mortgage? You'll usually need 'Consent to Let' from your lender.
Equity Release
Unlocking the value of your home: an insight into equity release
How lifetime mortgages work, who's eligible, the role of professional advice, and how to protect your heirs.
Remortgages
Interest-only to capital and interest: a comprehensive guide
Switching from an interest-only mortgage to a repayment mortgage is a major decision. Here's a step-by-step guide.
Mortgage Rates
Fixed rate vs tracker rate mortgages
Stability vs flexibility, here's how fixed rate and tracker rate mortgages differ, and how to decide which is right for you.
First-Time Buyers
Property portals where you can search for homes to buy
A round-up of the main UK property portals, from Rightmove and Zoopla to OnTheMarket and PrimeLocation.
First-Time Buyers
Your ultimate guide to homeownership
A step-by-step guide for first-time buyers navigating the UK housing market, from finances and AIP through to completion.
Economy
Understanding inflation: what it is and how it's calculated
A clear, jargon-free explanation of UK inflation, what it is, how CPI and RPI work, and why it matters.
Money
Monzo bank account: an app-based alternative
A look at the budgeting, notifications, fee-free travel and security features that have made Monzo so popular.
Remortgages
The remortgage process
A clear, step-by-step guide to remortgaging, from assessing your current deal through to completion.
First-Time Buyers
Nationwide's Helping Hand mortgage
Nationwide's Helping Hand lets eligible first-time buyers borrow more on a 5 or 10-year fix. Here's how it works.
Mortgage Application
Mortgage Agreement in Principle (AIP)
An AIP is a lender's preliminary statement of how much they may lend you, and it sharpens your property search.
Mortgage Application
Documents required for a mortgage
The complete checklist of documents lenders typically need, ID, address, income, deposit and more.
Mortgage Application
Tax calculation and tax year overview
Two HMRC documents lenders need from self-employed applicants, what they are and how to get hold of yours.
Mortgage Application
Your credit report
What's in your credit report, why it matters when you apply for a mortgage, and how to keep an eye on it.
First-Time Buyers
Costs involved when buying a home
From deposit and stamp duty to survey, conveyancing and Land Registry fees, a breakdown of what to budget for.
Valuation
Valuation or survey?
A lender's valuation isn't the same as a survey. Here's the difference between a mortgage valuation and a Level 2/3 survey.
Conveyancing
Exchange and completion
The two final milestones of a home purchase, what each one means, and what happens at each stage.
Conveyancing
The conveyancing process
A clear, step-by-step guide to the legal side of buying a home, from engaging a solicitor through to Land Registry.
Conveyancing
Local authority searches
What a local authority search reveals, from planning permissions and listed building status to environmental risks.
Conveyancing
Solicitors' fees
A breakdown of the legal fees and disbursements you can expect when buying a home in the UK.
Protection
Buildings insurance
What buildings insurance covers, why mortgage lenders insist on it, and how it sits alongside contents insurance.
Protection
Insurances to consider with a mortgage
Life cover, critical illness, income protection, buildings, contents, the policies worth considering with your mortgage.
Equity Release
Equity release & lifetime mortgages
How equity release works for homeowners over 55, unlocking value from your home without monthly repayments.
Moving Home
Should I stay or should I go?
Need more space? Sometimes renovating or extending makes more sense than moving. Here's how to weigh up the options.
First-Time Buyers
How to get a bigger mortgage if you're a first-time buyer
First-time buyers are often capped at 4.5x income. Here's how one lender lets eligible buyers borrow up to 5.5x.
Protection
How to get the protection you need
Life insurance, critical illness, income protection, how to think about the protection your family actually needs.
First-Time Buyers
To buy or not to buy
A look at the realities first-time buyers face today, and the schemes designed to close the affordability gap.
First-Time Buyers
Looking for a mortgage with a lower deposit?
Why 90% mortgages can dry up quickly in uncertain markets, and what's still available with a 10% deposit.
Self-Employed
Mortgages for self-employed with one year's trading
Got just one year of self-employed accounts? It's harder than two, but not impossible. Here's how it works.
Mortgage Payments
Should you overpay your mortgage?
Overpaying can save thousands in interest and clear your loan years early, but it isn't always the best use of spare cash.
Protection
Life insurance, setting the record straight
Four of the most common misconceptions about life insurance, and the facts that put them straight.
Protection
Making protection a family matter
Life insurance can secure your family's financial stability, clearing the mortgage, replacing income, and providing for childcare.
Equity Release
Managing debt in retirement, equity release
Later life lending is one of the fastest-growing parts of the UK mortgage market. Here's why and how it helps.
Protection
Life insurance, need to knows
The essentials of UK life insurance, getting the right level of cover and how cover changes with your circumstances.
Protection
Stay-at-home parents and life cover
Stay-at-home parents do a job that would cost tens of thousands to replace, yet only a third have life insurance.
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