13 July 2017

Arranging a repayment vehicle for an Interest Only loan is not a job for ‘tomorrow’.

There has been increasing commentary recently regarding Interest Only and Repayment mortgages. With an Interest Only mortgage, you only pay interest and no capital and so, at the end of your chosen term, you still owe the lender the same amount as when you began. Normally with this method, it is recommended that you contribute to a savings or investment vehicle to generate funds to repay the mortgage at the end of the term. However, this is usually optional but the lender will maintain contact with you during the term to investigate how you will eventually repay them.

With a Repayment Mortgage, you pay both interest and capital each month. Initially, this appears more expensive, but does mean that you pay back the loan with no debt outstanding at the end of the term on the reasonable assumption that you meet the required payments on time. 

Why the recent attention to these repayment options?  Simply, because many borrowers who stepped onto the property ladder chose the cheaper monthly payment (interest only) promising to review their payment plans at a later date. The problem is that the ‘later date’ never seems to arrive! As we all know, people generally live within their means. Many borrowers on this scheme have no savings or viable plans to pay back the debt and this is worrying! 
For a customer to get to the end of their mortgage term still owing exactly the same as when they took it out, with no form of repaying the loan apart from selling their property, creates a major headache for the lender, especially when they want their money back!  This is also part of the reason why so many lenders have historically moved away from offering interest only all together.


In addition, most high street lenders will only lend until normal retirement age, so those looking to extend their loan beyond normal retirement age, may only find a small number of mortgage lender options.

That said, Interest Only mortgages can be right for certain professions - people entitled to annual bonuses: the fluctuating income of self employed: or employments where lump sums are received after a number of years in service. It is not an exact science however and every case is different.

Arranging a repayment vehicle for an Interest Only loan is not a job for ‘tomorrow’.  As we all know, tomorrow never comes.  So, do it now!  Sort out a plan of action and put it into motion. Speak to your current lender or mortgage broker and review the options available to help you achieve repaying the loan over a specific time period.  But don’t delay…the clock is ticking!

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