Confused by property jargon? Try HouseWeb's comprehensive glossary of terms.
Additional Security Fee An up-front, one-off fee paid to the lender
to protect them against the borrower defaulting on the loan. Usually charged on
mortgages over 75% of the house value. Also known as MIG, Indemnity Guarantee
Premium and Mortgage Indemnity Premium.
Agents (See Estate Agents)
APR Annual Percentage Rate. The true cost of a loan.
Auctions Property sale. If you win the bid, you are legally bound to buy the house.
Tip: Have a survey carried out before the auction.
Bailiff Official who repossess your possessions or house if you cannot keep up on your mortgage
repayments.
Banks A place to go for Mortgages & Loans.
Bridging Loan An expensive temporary loan to tide you over when having to buy your new house before selling your old home.
Broker
An intermediary who will give advice and offer a range of mortgages.
Building Society Another place to go for Mortgages & Loans
Buildings Insurance Insurance to cover any structural
damage to your house.
Capital The sum borrowed in a mortgage.
Chain This occurs when the seller needs the sale of their house to occur
before they can complete the purchase of another property. The same situation may exist
for others in the chain. As a result, the whole chain can collapse if one link breaks.
Charge
The term used for the security that the lender relies on when granting a mortgage.
Completion The point when contracts have been exchanged and ownership
legally passes to the buyer.
Contents Insurance Insurance to cover any loss or damage to your possessions.
Contract Race When two parties have made an offer on the same house. The vendor will sell to
the first party to exchange contracts.
Contracts The legal documents needed to transfer the ownership of property.
Conveyancing
Legal work involved in buying and selling a house.
Direct Lenders
A new form of mortgage lender who deals solely over the telephone.
Disbursements Expenses paid by the solicitor on behalf of the purchaser.
Discounted Rate A reduced mortgage interest rate which is subtracted from
the Standard Variable rate.
Double Agent
An Estate Agent who will reveal the seller's lowest asking price to the buyer in order
to make a quick sale.
Endowment Mortgage Type of mortgage where monthly payments are made
into a endowment (life assurance) policy. The loan is paid off in one lump sum at the end of the
loan period.
Estate Agent
Property agents who link up buyers and sellers. Estate Agents advertise houses
& arrange viewings.
Excess The initial sum you have to pay on an insurance claim.
Exchange of Contracts The point at which buyer and seller are legally bound to the sale and
purchase of the property.
Failed Valuation Survey When the lender turns down your mortgage application
after reading the surveyor's valuation report.
Freehold Absolute ownership of property and land.
Gazumping A common practise whereby the seller, having already accepted
an offer from Party A, accepts a higher offer from Party B.
Gazundering When the buyer blackmails the seller into accepting a
lower offer just before contracts are about to be exchanged.
Indemnity Guarantee Premium See Additional Security Fee.
Joint Agents
When the seller commissions two independent Estate Agents to sell their house
Land Registry
Carried out by the Solicitor to register buyer as the new owner of the house.
Lease Document in which the owner of a freehold property lets out their premises
to a named party at a certain price and for a specified time.
Leasehold The ownership of a lease.
Lender's Arrangement Fees
Charge passed on to the buyer by lender for arranging a loan.
Lender's Legal Fees
The fees incurred by the lender when arranging a mortgage. These costs are
passed on to the buyer.
Lender's Valuation
A valuation of the proposed property carried out by the lender before
agreeing to give out a mortgage. This is only a valuation survey.
A seperate full structural survey is needed by the buyer.
Life Assurance
An insurance policy which pays out a fixed lump sum on death of an individual. Life Assurance helps protect from financial difficulties. Guide.
Loan-to-Value A percentage expressing size of mortgage:value of house.
For example, House Value=£100,000, Mortgage Size=£90,000. Loan-to-Value=90%.
Local Authority Search
A search carried out by the Solicitor to find out if there are any
Local Authority Notices, with respect to the building itself (e.g. has it been condemned?),
and the surrounding area (e.g. have plans gone through to build a motorway next to the house?).
MIG Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee. See Additional Security Fee
MIRAS Mortgage Interest Relief At Source.
Tax relief is deducted from interest payments on the first £30,000 of your mortgage. Phased out in April 2000.
Mortgage A long term loan to fund the buying of a property.
Mortgagee The lender of a mortgage.
Mortgagor The house buyer who takes out a mortgage.
Mortgage Indemnity Premium See Additional Security Fee.
Mortgage Term Period over which mortgage is to be repaid.
Negative Equity When the value of your house falls to less than
your mortgage. Over 1.5 million home owners have experienced this during
the recent recession.
Pension Mortgage Monthly repayments made up of a) Interest
on loan and b) contribution to a personal pension scheme. The loan on the house is paid off in
one lump sum at the end of the loan period.
Premium The monthly amount payable to an insurance policy.
Principle The sum of the loan on which interest is calculated.
Public Liability Insurance Insurance which covers injury or death
to anyone on or around your property.
Redemption When a mortgage if fully repaid.
Relocation Agents Specialists in finding houses, raising finances,
organising surveys and completing negotiations.
Repayment Mortgage A basic mortgage capital and interest on the loan
are paid off in monthly installments.
Repossession When the mortgage lender takes away
your home because you have fallen too far behind on your mortgage repayments.
Sole Agent
When a seller chooses only one Estate Agent to sell their home.
Solicitor
Legal Professional who acts on behalf of the buyer in the purchase of a house.
The solicitor will check the legal position of the house, carry out a Local Authority Search, Land Registry
and oversee the exchange of contracts between the two parties.
Stamp Duty
A government tax. Currently the tax is 1% of the property's value, 2.5% for properties valued between £250k - £500k and 3.5% over £500k. Imposed only on houses valued above £60,000.
Structural Survey
A report constructed by the surveyor detailing firstly, whether the house is
structurally sound and secondly, listing the major/minor defects, (including the necessary work which needs to be done).
Surveyor
The person who carries out a structural survey of the property, examining the
structure and general state of the house.
T
Tax Relief See MIRAS
Term The period in which a mortgage is taken out.
Title The legal right to ownership of a property.
Title Deeds The document which shows the ownership of a property.
Valuation Survey
A survey carried out by the lender to ensure that the house's value is not
less than the proposed loan. Often the lender will arrange the survey and bill
the buyer. This cannot be used as a structural survey.
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