Someone to rely on
Helping a friend or family member get their foot on the property ladder can be a rewarding and generous undertaking, but failure to weigh up the consequences, you could soon regret your choice. Here’s what you need to consider before signing anything.
Acting as a guarantor for a friend or family member wanting to buy a home could be the difference between their mortgage application getting accepted or refused. However, it’s not a decision that should be taken lightly. Being a guarantor is very similar to applying for your own mortgage or loan but with little benefit to your finances. Before agreeing to act as a guarantor, ask yourself the following questions:-
Increased borrowing mortgages
Some guarantor mortgages allow the borrower to take out a bigger mortgage than normal, asking the guarantor to guarantee the additional borrowing.
For example, if the borrower needed a £150,000 mortgage to purchase a property but ordinarily would only qualify for a £100,000 mortgage, acting as a guarantor could enable them to borrow the extra cash.
With this type of guarantor mortgage you may be able to specify that you are only guaranteeing to repay the additional borrowing (£50,000 using the example above) rather than the whole mortgage.
Can you be removed at a later date?
Once the original borrower has built up enough equity in their property they should be able to re-mortgage release you from the loan. This will still be dependent on their individual circumstances and reliant on being able to afford to take on sole responsibility for the mortgage. If property prices fall or the income of the original borrowers isn’t high enough you may need to continue as a guarantor for several years.
However, if the agreement that you guarantee falls into default then this will be added to your credit report. If the account doesn’t get paid, a county court judgement could also be lodged against your account. This means that as long as the account is paid on time, your role as guarantor won’t be divulged and have no bearing on the credit rating, it’s only if something goes wrong and you fail to pay that your credit history will be damaged.
Ask yourself before making a decision:-
1. how much they earn?
2. what are their job prospects and security?
3. what existing financial commitments they already have?
4. what’s their track record like when managing their money?
Of course, if you know the applicant well (which you should if you’re considering acting as a guarantor on their mortgage!) you can also weigh up how trustworthy they are in other aspects of their lives to help make your choice. Take a long hard look at someone before making such a big financial commitment.
This would protect you to a certain extent should they lose their job through illness, injury or redundancy and mean that you wouldn’t be called upon to repay the mortgage unless the problem went on long term. You may also want to consider taking out similar cover yourself to ensure that your income is protected fully too.