A Guide to Mortgage Jargon

APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the yearly cost of your mortgage and includes interest, one-off fees plus on-going costs. You should use the APR to compare the cost of different loans on a "like-for-like" basis.

(ASF) Additional Security Fee

The Additional Security Fee is an insurance premium paid by you, based on the maximum additional cashflow required during your project. It protects the lender against loss in the event that your self build property is re-possessed prior to the completion of the build. It also enables them to release a higher percentage of the costs and money to you earlier than they would normally do.

BBR (Bank Base Rate)

The Bank Base Rate (BBR) is set by a special Bank of England committee, known as the Monetary Policy Committee, which meets at the beginning of each month. BBR is the interest rate at which the Bank of England is prepared to lend short-term money to financial institutions.

ERC (Early Repayment Charge)

Many products are offered with highly competitive incentives at the start of a mortgage term. Such products can only be offered on the assumption that you keep your mortgage with that lender for a fixed period of time. In such circumstances, although you are of course free to move house and/or remortgage at any time, an early repayment charge will be incurred if you repay (or in some cases, partly repay the Capital within the Early Repayment Period).

FSA (Financial Services Authority)

The Financial Conduct Authority (FSA) is an independent non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

KFI (Key Facts Illustration)

The Financial Conduct Authority has designed a Key Facts Illustration to ensure that you receive consistent illustrations, with content shown the same way, from all mortgage lenders, allowing you to compare like with like.

You must have personalised product information, in the form of a KFI, at an early stage in the buying process, to ensure an easy comparison of different products. It also ensures you receive the information you need to decide whether to apply for a particular mortgage.

LTV (Loan to Value)

Often referred to as LTV, Loan to Value is a percentage figure used to express the amount of the loan as a proportion of the property's value. Different mortgage products can have different maximum LTV's - meaning that the minimum amount of deposit required (when buying a new home) can vary from one type of product to the next.

SVR (Standard Variable Rate)

The Standard Variable Rate is a lender's own base lending rate. Mortgages which start at concessionary rates will usually revert to the Standard Variable Rate after the benefits period finishes.

Self build mortgage types comparison

Current rates for self build mortgages

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