Compare Halifax Mortgages

Halifax was established as a building society in 1853 in the West Yorkshire town from which it takes its name. Today, Halifax is a bank that operates as a trading division of Bank of Scotland, which is owned by Lloyds Banking Group.

Halifax provides a wide range of financial products and services covering all aspects of the banking market. With over 160 years of experience in helping people buy homes, Halifax is one of the UK’s leading mortgage providers. Halifax’s mortgage team can help home buyers throughout the purchasing process.

Halifax provides a wide range of mortgages catering for most types of property buyer. That includes first-time home buyers, existing homeowners looking to move house or just find a better deal, and property investors interested in the buy-to-let market.

The Halifax mortgage range covers fixed-rate mortgages, flexible mortgages and variable-rate mortgages, including tracker rate products. The types of mortgage available to you will depend on your individual circumstances and the property you are purchasing.

Halifax provides mortgages on a wide range of LTVs (loan-to-value), which means it may be able to help you buy a property even if you have a relatively low deposit.

» MORE: What LTV means for a mortgage

If you don’t need any advice on your mortgage requirements, you can apply for a Halifax mortgage in one of three ways – in person at a high street branch, over the phone, or online.

However, if you need help with your mortgage or you want to consider other lenders, you should seek advice from an independent qualified mortgage adviser.

» MORE: Do I need a mortgage adviser?

If you’re thinking about applying for a Halifax mortgage, you’re probably wondering about their lending criteria, and how strict it is. It’s impossible to give an answer that’s true for all of their mortgage products or all borrowers, as each one may have different requirements, but as a general rule of thumb, you should be prepared to show:

• Proof of identity, such as your driving licence or passport.
• Your employment history, including your current job contract.
• Copies of your personal or business bank account statements with proof of salary.

This is because Halifax has a duty to make sure you’ll be able to comfortably meet your monthly mortgage payments, and a simple way to do this is to make sure your monthly income will exceed your outgoings, including payments toward the mortgage product of your choice.

» MORE: How much mortgage can I afford?

Yes, there is a Halifax mortgage calculator. So if you’re thinking about a Halifax mortgage, the calculator can show you how much you might be able to borrow, and also how much your monthly mortgage repayments might be. All you’ll need to do is answer a few quick questions to get started.

» MORE: Try the NerdWallet mortgage calculators

Yes, you can take a mortgage payment holiday with a Halifax mortgage if you meet their conditions for doing so. You’ll be able to find these on their website.

A mortgage payment holiday is when you take a temporary, pre-arranged break from paying your monthly mortgage bill. There are many reasons why you might want to do this, from having an unexpected big expense (like suddenly having to replace your boiler) to being made redundant. If you’re looking into this option because your income has been affected by coronavirus, Halifax has special support available to you.

Keep in mind that if you do decide to arrange a mortgage payment holiday, your monthly mortgage payments will go up when you start paying them again, because Halifax will still be adding interest, despite the payment holiday. Mortgage payment holidays offer short-term relief, and could be the right thing for your situation, but make sure you take into account the long-term effects of hitting pause on your payments.

» MORE: How to get help with your mortgage

If you’re moving house and you’re wondering if your Halifax mortgage can move with you, the answer is maybe. It will depend on the terms of the mortgage you initially took out and a few other factors – such as whether you’ll need to borrow more money for the new property, and whether you’ll still qualify for the deal, as your circumstances or your mortgage provider’s criteria may have changed since your initial application. To find out, check your Mortgage Offer letter for the specific terms of your Halifax mortgage.

Keep in mind that if you do need to borrow more money to move to the new property, and assuming you meet the requirements to port your original product, you will also need to take out another mortgage product to repay the difference. So you’ll effectively have two mortgage products on the new property, though you’ll still make just one monthly payment. For more information or advice, it’s a good idea to speak to an independent financial advisor.

It’s impossible to say for sure how long your Halifax mortgage application will take to be processed. It’s probably best to allow between 1 and 3 weeks from the date you send in your application for it to be either approved or declined.

It’s worth bearing in mind that you can help to speed things up by making sure your mortgage application is as complete as it can possibly be. Try to provide every single piece of information that Halifax asks for, even if it means trawling through piles of miscellaneous ‘life admin’ paperwork, or making a few phone calls to your bank or your work’s HR department. It could save a few hours or even a few days once your application reaches Halifax’s mortgage team.

» MORE: Mortgage in principle: How to get one

Halifax mortgage rates change regularly depending on base rate fluctuations, UK property market trends and lender competition. For the latest mortgage interest rates from Halifax’s mortgage product portfolio, you can use our whole-of-market mortgage comparison service or you can visit the Halifax website. Using NerdWallet’s comparison service allows you to compare Halifax mortgage rates against other leading UK mortgage lenders.

Like many other competitive mortgage providers, Halifax frequently offers mortgage deals to entice new customers to borrow. Halifax mortgage special offers are usually time-limited deals that feature incentives such as cashback, discounted fees, items for your home, or exclusive interest rates.

When considering such incentives and perks, you’ll want to evaluate them along with the combination of rates, fees and terms to get the clearest picture of cost - and then compare the total cost against deals offered by other mortgage lenders.

» MORE: How much will my monthly mortgage repayments be?

There are several ways you can run your Halifax mortgage account once you become a customer. If you have access to the internet and a computer, probably the easiest thing to do is to sign up for online banking, or download their mobile app. Then you’ll be able to see your balance and statements, make payments, and request documents (such as your mortgage statement or a certificate of interest) all from your online Halifax mortgage account.

If you don’t like the idea of an online account, you also have the option to call Halifax with your mortgage questions or visit a branch near you in person.