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Santander for Intermediaries has launched a range of cheap mortgages available from 3.55%!

The new 3.55% two-year fix is available to borrowers moving home with a 40% deposit, and it has a £999 arrangement fee. Santander's new three-year fix is priced at around 3.60%, and the five-year fix is priced at around 3.75%. These rates also have £999 fees, require a 40% deposit, and all these products are available for mortgages of up to £3 million. 

Which lenders have the next lowest rates? Nationwide and Barclays have slightly more expensive but well-priced two and five-year fixes.

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "Even though the Bank of England base rate is not at 3.5% yet, as many expected, it seems like the lenders are keen to offer the cheapest possible mortgages to get as close to this benchmark price before Christmas. The best rates are still available for those looking to move home. The cost of funding has been declining, and no doubt many lenders are trimming their profit margins by offering better rates.

"Mortgage lending criteria is changing so much at the moment that rates are only playing a small part for many borrowers seeking income stretches, lower deposit mortgages or flexible products without exit fees. If you can get a mortgage through one of the major lenders, you will probably get the most competitive rates. The big banks are taking on the specialist lenders who normally issue mortgages to those with more unusual situations. There isn’t just a mortgage price war going on; there is also a mortgage criteria fight as well."

Representative example: A capital and interest Santander mortgage of £500,000 payable over 30 years, initially on a 3.55% fixed rate for 02 March 2028 and then on a variable rate of 7.25% for the remaining 28 years, would require 26 monthly repayments of £2,261.90 followed by 334 monthly repayments of £3,186.11. The total amount repayable would be £1,123,379.89.

This amount is illustrative and may vary, made up of the loan amount, plus interest (£625,438.98) and £999 (product fee), £225 (final repayment charge), £25 (completion fee). The overall cost for comparison is 6.3% APRC representative.

Get expert mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the full application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

What Is the Halifax First Time Buyer Boost Mortgage?

The Halifax First Time Buyer Boost is a mortgage product designed to help first-time buyers borrow up to 5.5× their household income, allowing them to purchase a home that may have been out of reach with standard affordability limits. It is aimed at buyers with solid income and a minimum 10% deposit.

From 5 December, Halifax is increasing the number of customers who can borrow up to 5.5x their income with the First Time Buyer Boost, by reducing the minimum household income required. The lender is also removing the specific loan-to-income (LTI) limits for self-employed incomes, meaning many self-employed customers will be able to borrow more. 

Halifax is making £1bn in extra lending available as part of these changes to help more first-time buyers onto the property ladder. This increases the total pledge since First Time Buyer Boost was launched in August 2024 to £9bn.

Key changes

• For First-Time Buyer Boost the minimum household income is being reduced from £50,000 to £40,000

• Self-employed borrowers can now access the First-Time Buyer Boost scheme

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "The bigger banks and building societies offer 5 or 5.5 times salary mortgages and increasingly 6 to 6.5 times salary mortgages. Under Nationwide's Helping Hand scheme, mortgage borrowers must take out a five- or ten-year fixed-rate mortgage. Halifax also offers 5.5 times salary to first-time buyers and remortgaging customers, providing they earn between £75,000 and £125,000.

"Whether you opt to take an income stretch mortgage really depends on whether you need a high mortgage income, and the type and location of the property you are buying. HSBC has also gone pretty wild and started offering 6.5 times salary to higher earners; this is something I am still surprised that they are doing."

Key Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the Halifax First Time Buyer Boost, applicants must:

• Be a first-time buyer (at least one person on the application).

• Have a combined employed income of £40,000+.

• Provide a minimum 10% deposit (up to 90% LTV).

• Be employed and self-employed.

• Purchase using a standard residential mortgage (not Shared Ownership, not Help to Buy, not Family Boost).

Benefits of Halifax First Time Buyer Boost

• Higher borrowing power – up to 5.5× income.

• Supports buyers in high-cost areas such as London and the South East.

• Helps first-time buyers get on the property ladder faster with a more generous income multiple.

How to Apply for Halifax First Time Buyer Boost

1. Check you meet the income, deposit, and first-time buyer criteria.

2. Calculate your potential borrowing at up to 5.5× income.

3. Compare Halifax mortgage rates and fees.

4. Apply through Halifax for Intermediaries and Trinity Financial for tailored advice and better product comparisons.

Is It Right for You?

The Halifax First Time Buyer Boost is ideal for:

• Employed first-time buyers with stable income.

• Households earning £40k+ who need a higher borrowing multiple.

• Buyers with at least a 10% deposit.

If you have a smaller deposit or are self-employed, other first-time buyer mortgage options may be more suitable.

Get expert mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the full application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

There is a strong chance the Bank of England (BoE) base rate will be lowered from 4% to 3.75% on the 18th December, with money markets reportedly assigning a 90% probability to the reduction. Further rate easing is expected next year, given the headwinds facing the economy.

There was not much joy in the Chancellor's Budget, but it does potentially give the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee scope to lower the base rate a few more times. 

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "The Bank of England base rate is not at 3.5% yet, as many expected, but mortgage rates are still getting cheaper. Santander for Intermediaries has a range of 2-, 3-, and 5-year fixed rates around 3.6%, and Nationwide and Halifax have lowered their fixed rates again today.

"If the base rate comes down again, I suspect mortgage rates will get even better next year, especially as banks and building societies have such a strong appetite to lend at the moment." 

Will fixed-rate mortgages get cheaper if the Bank of England cuts its base rate?

It’s a question many homeowners and buyers are asking — and the answer is: sometimes yes, but not automatically.

Why fixed-rate mortgages don’t automatically get cheaper

• Fixed-rate mortgages lock in a set interest rate for a fixed period (e.g. 2, 3, 5, or more years). During that fixed period, your rate — and therefore your monthly payment — doesn’t change, no matter what the BoE base rate does.
• Even for new fixed-rate deals, lenders don’t simply copy the BoE base rate. Instead, they set fixed rates based on a mixture of factors — including their cost of raising funds in wholesale markets or via “swap rates,” market expectations for inflation, and overall demand for mortgages.
• The BoE base rate influences the interest rates banks charge each other, which in turn shapes how expensive lending is.
• For variable-rate or tracker mortgages, a cut in the base rate often leads directly to lower payments — banks and building societies tend to pass on reductions to those rates.

When should you lock into a fixed rate?

A lower base rate tends to reduce the overall interest rate environment: cheaper borrowing costs for banks, lower inflation expectations, and reduced mortgage funding costs. Over time, this can persuade lenders to lower fixed-rate offerings to attract borrowers.

If your mortgage is coming up for renewal soon, or you are buying a property, it makes sense to secure a mortgage rate and then switch to your lender's lower rates when they become available. This is especially important if you are opting for a longer-term fixed deal or have a larger mortgage loan. Trinity's brokers can help you secure a competitively priced product and ensure you do not pay more than necessary.

Source: 90% chance of a BoE base rate cut highlighted by a private bank in its latest mortgage update

Get expert mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the full application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

The 2025 Autumn Budget unveiled by the Chancellor will mean high-value homeowners and many landlords will end up paying more tax.

From April 2027, property-related income will face higher tax rates: 22% (basic), 42% (higher), and 47% (additional). 

More landlords and buy-to-Let owners under pressure

The increased tax on property income comes after recent reforms that already reduced tax relief on mortgage interest for buy-to-let properties.

This tax will raise around £500million a year according to an accidentally-published document from the Office for Budget Responsibility this morning.

Hamptons head of research Aneisha Beveridge was quoted as saying: “Those operating through limited companies will remain unaffected, but for individual landlords who make up the bulk of the market and who are already squeezed by higher borrowing costs and previous tax changes, this could accelerate the trend of investors exiting the market."

New “Super Council Tax” for £2M+ homes

As part of the Budget, a new annual surcharge — dubbed the “mansion tax” — will apply from April 2028 to residential properties valued at over £2 million. This levy is intended to be an addition to the regular council tax and will be indexed to CPI inflation from 2029–30 onwards. 

Estimates suggest the measure could raise roughly £400 million annually for the government. 

There are currently about 145,000 UK homes valued at more than £2 million according to Savills but Knight Frank estimates that number will rise to 190,000 by 2028.

Potential Market Impact: Shift in Buyer Behaviour

Lots of landlords will be pretty cheesed off about having to pay more tax, but they have been expecting it for a while. This tax may well mean that even more previously rented properties are put on the market, which in turn pushes up rents in many areas. However, there may be more homes to buy for residential borrowers.

Buy-to-let mortgage rates have fallen significantly over the last year, and there are many cheap fixed-rate options. With more people paying higher taxes, lower mortgage rates will be even more important, so we can expect a Bank of England base rate cut in December. First-time buyers will still be keen to get on the property ladder, and more landlords will be looking to secure better rates or switch to limited company structures to be more tax efficient.

What else did the Chancellor announce?  

• Income tax thresholds will be frozen until April 2031 meaning more people will pay higher rates as their pay increases.
• The two-child cap on means-tested benefits will be lifted.
• The government's tax take is likely to reach an all-time high of 38% of GDP in 2030-31.
• Cash ISA each year will be cut from £20,000 to £12,000 from April 2027 – though only if you're under 65.

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "There was not much good news in this budget and the property sector may well get tougher for a while. The lenders are doing more so they can issue more mortgages, and borrowers can secure larger loans, but first-time buyers and buyers as a whole will want more from the Labour government.

"The much-hoped-for reduction or restructuring of stamp duty did not materialise, so this government will continue to receive billions in tax from the property sector, and buyers will continue to be put off or frustrated about how much they need to pay to buy or move home. It would have been nice to see something in the Budget to incentivise homeowners to rent out one of the millions of spare rooms or tempt older people to downsize. This seems like a missed opportunity to do more to improve the housing market."

Get expert mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the whole application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

Coutts has made changes to the minimum mortgage loan size that eligible clients can access. This means that new clients looking to purchase or remortgage a home with Coutts now have to take a minimum loan size of £1.5 million.

Considerations for Coutts new mortgage lending rules

• Changes to minimum loan size for new businesses: The change from £1 million to £1.5 million is effective from today, November 11, 2025, for new clients.
• These changes relate to Coutts lending to new clients only.
• This change does not impact existing Coutts clients.
• This change does not impact the International criteria.

Coutts has increased the minimum qualifying loan size by £500,000 to try to attract more high-net-worth clients. There is a lot of competition in the large mortgage loan market now, and virtually all the big lenders and many of the smaller providers are keen to attract wealthier clients seeking £1 million+ mortgages.  

Many of the mortgages Coutts issues are well over £1 million, and by raising the limit, they will receive fewer enquiries. This means they can concentrate on those often international buyers purchasing in prime areas of London and Surrey. Smaller enquiries can also be diverted to NatWest, ensuring they remain within their banking group. NatWest owns Coutts.  

Which lenders have the most competitively priced £1.5 million+ mortgages?

Nationwide recently launched a 3.64% two-year fix with a £1,499 arrangement fee with a minimum loan size of £300,000 and a maximum loan size of £5 million. The overall cost for comparison is 6.4% APRC representative. This highlights the level of competition the high street lenders have brought to the private banks. Coutts' lowest two-year fix is priced at around 4.65% with a higher arrangement fee. Both Nationwide and Coutts rates require a 40% deposit. 

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "Coutts issues much more complex cases than many of the high street lenders, but if wealthier clients buying expensive homes do qualify through a more standard bank or building society, it is possible to make some pretty hefty savings. I suspect most of Coutts' enquiries are for well over £1 million, but they are making the change to ensure they really do target what they see as high net worth clients."

Get expert private bank mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the full application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a £1 million+ mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

Landlords remortgaging in the first half of the year withdrew more equity to expand their portfolios than any other corresponding period since 2018. This is according to Paragon Bank’s analysis of industry figures.

Paragon's research shows between January and June 2025, landlords who remortgaged buy-to-let properties withdrew £1.94 billion to fund portfolio expansion. This is higher than any other corresponding period dating back to 2018, the first year this data began to be recorded.

Paragons says this total value is the sum of 9,852 remortgage completions where equity was withdrawn for portfolio expansion during the period. This represents the highest H1 volume during the same seven-year timeframe, excluding the 10,028 recorded in the first half of 2021 against a backdrop of record low interest rates and the Stamp Duty holiday.

The figures highlight how the value of investment in portfolio expansion has steadily increased, by 30%, from the first half of 2023 after the market was impacted by the high interest rates fuelled by the mini-Budget. Then, 8133 remortgages were written, valuing £1.49 billion, where equity was withdrawn to expand portfolios. This increased to 9,088 loans valuing £1.67 billion during the same period in 2024.

Commenting on the figures, Louisa Sedgwick, Managing Director of Mortgages at Paragon Bank, said: “Proactively leveraging the capital appreciation enables landlords to strategically reconfigure their portfolios, investing in the propositions that offer the best returns to remain profitable, despite the economic pressures felt across all sectors in recent years.

“With interest rates gradually coming down, remortgaging is likely to continue to make up a substantial volume of lending. By proactively working with landlords and discussing their plans, brokers can identify opportunities to secure business ahead of mortgages maturing.”

Is it still possible to remortgage a buy-to-let mortgage portfolio?

Yes, it is possible to remortgage a buy-to-let property portfolio. Remortgaging involves replacing your current mortgage(s) with a new one or two lenders, depending on your situation and whether you are switching your portfolio to be in a limited company. Often, to secure a better interest rate, a different tax status, release equity, or restructure your finances. 

How cheap are buy-to-let mortgage rates?

Buy-to-let mortgage rates have fallen significantly over the last year, and there are many high-fee and low fixed-rate options. Some two-year fixed rates are priced just over 2% with 7% arrangement fees, while HSBC offers sub-4% fixes with £1,999 arrangement fees. BM Solutions has buy-to-let fixes priced around 3.7% with 3% fees or rates closer to 4% with 1% arrangement fees. Landlords need a deposit between 40% and 25% to access the most competitive rates. 

Top cities for rental yields in the UK 

According to Zoopla figures, Sunderland, Aberdeen and Burnley top the UK rental yield chart, with average gross yields over 8%. The top 17 cities for rental yields in the UK are all in the North of England and Scotland. In contrast, southern cities tend to have much higher house prices, bringing the gross yield down for buy-to-let properties. Here’s how every city in the UK compares for gross rental yield. 

Zoopla says Sunderland has the lowest average monthly rent at £659, while the average rent in London is £2,119.

Get expert buy-to-let mortgage advice from Trinity Financial

At Trinity Financial, our team of experienced London mortgage brokers specialises in helping borrowers secure the right deal. We work with all major lenders and can guide you through the full application process.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a buy-to-let mortgage or book a consultation

Your mortgage is secured on your property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate most Buy to Let Mortgages