Expert Knowledge & Professional Service

Nationwide for Intermediaries has lowered its mortgage rates again after increasing them a few weeks ago. The lender now offers two, three and five-year fixed rates priced around 4%.

Nationwide, the UK's largest building society, has a two-year fix at 3.90%, with the three-year and five-year fixes up to 0.2% higher. The 3.90% mortgage is available to borrowers purchasing a property with a 40% deposit and borrowing between £300,000 and £5 million. There is a £1,499 arrangement fee, and early repayment charges apply. 

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "If you are on the hunt for a mortgage, there are still some great options to choose from, but there are fewer sub-4% mortgages available than there were a few weeks ago. Nationwide has bucked the trend by launching these rates at a time when other major lenders have been increasing their rates.

"While the lowest rates are available to borrowers with a 35% or 40% deposit, the fixes with a 30% or 25% deposit are not much more expensive. Lenders are working hard to attract borrowers, especially now that the stamp duty rate has been increased."  

Nationwide representative example: A capital and interest mortgage of £300,000 payable over 30 years, initially on a fixed rate basis at 3.90% for 24 months and then the standard variable rate currently at 6.99% for the remaining 28 years. The 3.90% rate would require 24 monthly repayments of £1,415.00 followed by 336 payments of £1,962.41. The total amount repayable would be £694,843.76 made up of the loan amount, plus interest (£393,329.13) and £1,499 (product fee), £65 (final repayment charge), £15 (completion fee). The overall cost for comparison is 6.7% APRC representative.

Should you opt for a two, three or five-year fixed mortgage? 

The price difference between the most competitively priced two, three and five-year fixed-rate mortgages has increased in recent weeks, but it remains relatively small. 

The length of the mortgage rate borrowers choose often depends on their attitude to risk and the choice of products available to them at the time of application. It also depends on their financial and personal situation.

Some lenders offer one-year fixed-rate mortgages to both new and existing customers. There are also 1.5-year, 3-year, 4-year, and 10-year fixes. There are also fixed-term mortgages, which means borrowers can lock in for terms ranging from 11 to 40 years. There are tracker rates, and many do not have early repayment charges.

Trinity's brokers can help you choose the most suitable rate.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage, book a consultation, or complete our mortgage questionnaire. 

The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

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

Clydesdale Bank, The Co-operative, Halifax, Santander, and Accord have all recently increased their mortgage rates. This is due to an increase in swap rates, which are used to price fixed-rate deals.

The price rises came as Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warned that the pace of future Bank Rate cuts was “shrouded in uncertainty” due to the unknown impact of Trump’s tariffs on the economic outlook.

Sub-4% fixed-rate mortgages still available

Some borrowers still believe we are in a rate-cutting environment where mortgages are becoming cheaper, but this is generally not the case. For the moment, lenders such as NatWest, Santander, and Barclays for Intermediaries all offer sub-4% mortgages. 

Mortgage rates have been edging up recently, and many major banks and building societies have increased their rates. There are fewer sub-4% fixed-rate options available. 

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "The mortgage market can change quickly. When funding costs increase, fixed rates can be withdrawn and become more expensive within a few days, which is why it is crucial to act if you spot a rate that appears to offer good value for money.

"Even with the recent price increases, mortgages should remain fairly priced over the near term. There are still some decent options available now, but there are certainly fewer three and five-year fixes priced around 3.99%. While the cost of funding does seem to have stabilised, it would not be a surprise to see more lenders pushing up their prices over the coming days."

Nationwide has lowered its two-year fixed rates after increasing pricing a few weeks ago.

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage, book a consultation, or complete our mortgage questionnaire. 

The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

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

Banks and building societies are constantly launching new schemes to help more first-time buyers get on the property ladder. 

First-time buyer schemes are widely available across large and small mortgage lenders. Some options are good for borrowers with a larger deposit. Others help those who can get support from their parents. There are also low deposit choices for borrowers who need to stretch their income and even low-deposit mortgages for those with credit blips. 

There are almost too many first-time buyer schemes to list, but here is our pick of the latest leading top eight:

1) Nationwide's Helping Hand income stretch mortgage

The most popular first-time buyer scheme is arguably Nationwide's Helping Hand income stretch mortgage, which helps borrowers access up to six times their salary to secure a mortgage.

Applicants will need to take a five—or ten-year fix, but the Helping Hand scheme has helped thousands of first-time buyers secure sufficiently large mortgages to get on the property ladder. 

• All applicants must be first-time buyers.
• 5 and 10-year fixed rates are available for borrowers, provided they have a 5% deposit.
• Minimum qualifying income of £35,000 for sole applicants or £55,000 for joint applicants. You can include all income sources (except self-employed income).
• Up to six times your salary mortgage, which is more generous than most other lenders.

2) Accord Mortgages £5k deposit

The Accord Mortgage £5k deposit scheme is a 1% deposit mortgage available to first-time buyers who provide a £5,000 deposit. The minimum loan size is £95,001, and the maximum is £495,000.

• At least one applicant must be a first-time buyer (defined as never having owned a property in the past) and have no background properties on the application.
• The maximum age allowable at the end of the term is 70.
• Both applicants must have an indefinite right to reside in the UK.

3) Skipton's 100% Track Record Mortgage

Skipton for Intermediaries is offering a 100% Track Record Mortgage, providing a no-deposit mortgage for current renters who haven't owned a property in the last 3 years and can demonstrate a track record of affordability of all monthly rent for a minimum of 12 months in the last 18-month period.

• After one year of helping renters into their homes, Skipton has made various improvements to the way we calculate affordability, which should help more customers step up on the property ladder. This means that in some circumstances, we will lend loans with monthly payments up to 120% of the rent the customer is currently paying.
• The maximum term is 40 years. 
• Each client must not have owned a property in the UK in the last the years.
• The maximum loan-to-income is 4.49 times salary or 4.75 times salary if the income is over £50,000.

4) NatWest's Family-Backed Mortgage

NatWest's new Family-Backed mortgage, sometimes known as a ‘joint borrower sole proprietor’ (JBSP) mortgage, can help buyers get onto the property ladder sooner or borrow more money. It lets borrowers add a second person to the mortgage, but without them owning the property.

Adding a second person to the mortgage as a 'non-owner', can help borrowers access larger mortgages than they would otherwise have been able to borrow, which means they could buy their own home sooner than they thought. And, the non-owner could be a family member or friend. 

• The non-owning borrower must seek independent legal advice before completion. An Independent Legal Advice Certificate will be sent to the non-owning borrower with the mortgage offer, seeking confirmation legal advice has been obtained.
• Their future borrowing limits will be affected because the mortgage will show on their credit report and will be used in future affordability calculations.
• Standard residential mortgage policy rules will apply to all applicants, including NatWest's eligibility criteria of a minimum age of 18 and a maximum age of 75.

5) Barclays Family Springboard Mortgage

This scheme has been available for years and, surprisingly, is not used as much as it should be.

Applicants can use a family or friend’s savings to buy a house with their own mortgage, and the person lending the money should* get their money back, with interest. 

You can borrow the full purchase price of your home because your helper provides 10% as security for five years. The Barclays Family Springboard can provide a 100% loan-to-value mortgage.

• The family member or friend can earn an "attractive" rate of interest on their savings for the agreed term.
• The saver's money will only be returned provided the mortgage account is not in arrears.* The saver's money can also help more than one family member or friend get their own place at the same time.

    

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a first-time buyer mortgage, book a consultation, or complete our mortgage questionnaire. 

The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

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

Barclays has enhanced its mortgage affordability calculations in a move that could allow many homebuyers and remortgage customers to borrow more money.
 
In a message to Trinity Financial explaining the changes, Barclays said: "We know that affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing your clients. That's why from today, we've enhanced our mortgage affordability calculations. We have cut our stress rates for residential purchase and remortgage applications."
  
A family could now potentially borrow up to £30,750 more (subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history).
 
Whether you are stepping onto the housing ladder, moving home or remortgaging, this update could make a meaningful difference in what's possible in today's market.

Barclays has also increased the maximum loan amounts for lower deposit property purchases across all of its mortgages, to £640,000 for houses and £310,000 for flats, enabling more buyers to access homes in higher price brackets with a 10% deposit.

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says, " Many of the big lenders have concentrated their efforts on issuing more generous loan sizes, and lots of borrowers are starting to notice the difference.

"With so many lenders offering mortgages of around £30,000 more the income stretch mortgages are not being used as much and borrowers are finding it easier to get the loan size they need. They are also getting enough money through the biggest lenders, which is good news as they generally offer the most competitive prices."

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

The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

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

More than 100,000 price reductions were recorded across the UK housing market in April, marking the highest figure for any April since 2019, according to new data from TwentyEA.

The analytics firm reported that 104,794 price drops were made last month, pushing the total number of reductions in 2025 to nearly 388,000. This represents a 20.6% rise year-on-year and is the highest total the firm has recorded over this period.

Despite the increase in volume, the overall rate of price reductions—defined as the proportion of listings with at least one price cut—has remained relatively stable. In 2025 so far, 38.0% of listings have included at least one reduction, compared with 38.4% in 2024. TwentyEA noted that the rise in raw numbers is largely due to an increase in the volume of properties for sale.

The latest House Price Index from Rightmove shows the average price of property coming to the market rose by 0.6% on a monthly basis at the start of May and by 1.2% annually to £379,517. Despite asking prices hitting a new record high, this is the slowest rate of growth since 2016.

Anthony Emmerson, director of Trinity Financial, says: “Some house sellers might be prepared to reduce their prices to secure a timely sale, but many are holding off for the highest price. This really is area-specific data because lots of our clients are buying properties where there is high demand." 

Changes in reduction rates have varied by region and price band. While most price brackets saw lower rates of reduction, properties priced over £1 million were the exception, with a 2.0 percentage point rise compared with last year. Regionally, only Inner London and the South West have seen an uptick in the proportion of listings undergoing price cuts—by 1.4 and 0.6 percentage points respectively.

The number of property sales completed each month varies based on market conditions but according to the latest data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate for residential property transactions in March 2025 was 177,370, marking a 62% increase compared to February 2025 and a 104% rise compared to March 2024 . This surge was partly due to buyers accelerating purchases before changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax rates took effect in April 2025.

Source: Moneyweek, Mortgage Strategy and Property Reporter and Financial Times

Call Trinity Financial on 020 7267 9399 to secure a mortgage, book a consultation, or complete our mortgage questionnaire. 

The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.

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