You can't normally use a standard residential mortgage for a second home you won't live in full-time. Here is how holiday home mortgage affordability, deposits and rates actually compare in 2026.
A joint mortgage sole proprietor (JMSP) arrangement lets a second person help you qualify for a bigger mortgage without going on the property title — common with parents helping children buy. Here's how it works, the risks, and how it differs from a guarantor mortgage.
A £100,000 salary typically supports a mortgage of around £450,000 at a 4.5x income multiple in 2026. Take-home pay, the 60% tax trap and a worked example.
A £30,000 salary typically borrows around £135,000 at standard 4.5x income multiples in 2026. Full affordability breakdown, take-home pay and a worked first-time buyer example.
A £35,000 salary typically supports a mortgage of around £157,500 at a 4.5x income multiple in 2026. Take-home pay, deposit sizes and a worked buying example.
A £70,000 salary typically supports a mortgage of around £315,000 at a 4.5x income multiple in 2026. Higher-rate tax, take-home pay and a worked example.
Two incomes totalling £90,000 (e.g. £50,000 and £40,000) typically borrow around £405,000 in 2026. How joint applications work, combined take-home pay and a worked example.
Porting lets you take your existing mortgage deal — and its rate — with you when you move house, avoiding early repayment charges. It's not automatic, though: you still need to pass affordability checks all over again. Here's how it works.
Received an inheritance or windfall? How a lump-sum mortgage overpayment works in the UK, the difference between reducing your term vs your payment, and the numbers on a £30,000 example.
Transferring the family home between divorcing spouses is usually exempt from Stamp Duty Land Tax — but not always. How the court order exemption works and when SDLT still applies in 2026.
Buying a neighbour's garden strip or an adjoining plot soon after your house purchase can trigger HMRC's SDLT 'linked transaction' rules, pushing you into a higher stamp duty band. How it works in 2026.
Buying a £450,000 second home or buy-to-let in 2026 costs £30,000 in Stamp Duty Land Tax — standard rates plus the 5% surcharge. Full band-by-band breakdown.
