What is a Mortgage Prisoner?

‘Mortgage prisoners’ are people who are unable to switch mortgages to a better deal, despite being up-to-date with their mortgage payments.

Where does the name come from?

As the name suggests it is a situation where homeowners are ‘trapped’ in their existing mortgage, unable to switch to a deal with better terms, or rates. The term ‘mortgage prisoner’ surfaced during the financial crisis of 2008.

How does someone become a mortgage prisoner?
Mortgage prisoners often arise due to a combination of factors such as changes in economic downturns, lending practices, and regulatory constraints.

Below are a couple of scenarios which could lead to a borrower becoming a mortgage prisoner:

  1. High Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio: if you have taken out a mortgage with high LTV ratios, which means you borrowed a large portion of the property’s value (read more about LTV here). If the value of the property declines, or if your financial situation deteriorates, you may find yourself in a position where you owe more on your mortgage that the property is actually worth. This can make it difficult to refinance or switch lenders.
  2. Tightened Lending Criteria: following the financial crisis, lenders have implemented stricter lending criteria, making it more difficult for borrowers to secure new mortgages. This means, some existing homeowners who were previously able to get a mortgage do not meet the new criteria when trying to switch to a new lender or negotiate terms.

Unfortunately, mortgage prisoners may be stuck with higher interest rates and unable to benefit from any lower interest rates on the market. There are regulations and policies in place which provide initiatives to provide relief and potential solutions for those affected and facing financial hardship.

The team at Mortgage Required will be happy to talk further about Mortgage Prisoners with you. Give us a call on 01628 507477 or email team@mortgagerequired.com 

Recent posts

Selling up? It’s important to make your house as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Good decorating can help with first impressions, and increase the perceived value of your property.

With the cost of living affecting so many of us, we have made a list of budget-friendly activities and ideas for you.

Moving soon? It's never too early to get organised! Be prepared and avoid unwanted stress by checking out our list of tips to get you ready for moving day.

Inflation simply put, is the increase in the price of something over time. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) tracks the prices of hundreds of everyday items and these items are updated to reflect shopping trends.

We are often asked if it's good advice to consolidate “unsecured” debt (credit cards and loans etc) into your mortgage, the answer is, sometimes

When you’re looking to buy a home, and you own a car, you ideally want to know the rules on parking in the area. Parking rules can be confusing, even for the most experienced of drivers! This is why we have written this blog to help you.

There are several potential sources you can consider when it comes to getting together a deposit to buy a property. Providing proof of the source of your deposit is a key requirement in the application process and will need to be given to both the lender and the solicitor.

An interest only mortgage will allow you to make monthly payments just to cover the interest on the money you have borrowed. Unlike a traditional repayment mortgage where payments consist of both capital and interest, with an interest-only mortgage, you will only pay the interest and the balance of the loan will therefore not decrease.