Halifax

Established back in 1853, Halifax was originally set up to help working class people in the town of the same name to invest in a local organisation. It was then merged in 1928 with another local building society and then changed its name to the Halifax Building Society.

Having merged with the Leeds Permanent Building Society and Clerical Medical Find Managers, Halifax became a bank in 1997 and is one of the big 5 in the UK, especially since it has merged with HBOS and the Bank of Scotland. Halifax offers a number of financial products to meet the needs of its many customers, of which residential mortgages is just one.

This lender was awarded the title of Best Mortgage Lender For First Time Buyers in 2017 from What Mortgage as a sign of the exemplary service they provide. Halifax's mortgage products encompass fixed rate deals, tracker rate deals and variable rate deals. They also offer a range of time limited special offers including cash back deals and low minimum deposits.

Halifax offers:

• First time buyer mortgages with deposits as low as 5% on properties worth over £40,000 for those who are buying their first property with the intent to live in it as their main home.
• Mortgages for existing homeowners who either already have a mortgage with Halifax or who have a mortgage with another lender. Homeowners mortgage products are available from as low a deposit as 5% and on properties that have been valued at more than £40,000.
• Porting is available for existing homeowners who already have a mortgage product with Halifax when they relocate to a new property.
• Remortgages on an existing property, with offers available on properties in the UK which include free property assessments and free legal fees.