Mortgage Glossary Index

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Bailiff
An official representative of the courts, who may call round to repossess your possessions or house if you cannot keep up on your mortgage repayments and fail to reach an agreement with your lender to ammend your repayments.

Balance breakdown
This is a fee that can be charged by your lender for a month-by-month breakdown of your account balance, over and above the information contained in your Annual Statement. Costs £15 - £30

Balance outstanding
The amount of loan owed at one time.

Balance sheet
Forms part of the annual report and is the statement of a value for a company's assets and liabilities and the end of the financial year (balance sheet date). It shows a company's financing through external debt, profit generation and the issuing of share capital.

Balloon mortgage
A mortgage in which monthly installments are not large enough to repay the loan by the end of the term. As a result, the final payment due is the lump sum of the remaining principal.

Balloon payment
The final lump sum payment due at the end of a balloon mortgage.

Bank of England base rate
The prevailing rate of interest set by the Bank of England which all lenders generally follow.

Bankruptcy
A proceeding in which an insolvent debtor can obtain relief from payment of certain obligations. Bankruptcies remain on a credit record for seven years and can severely limit a person's ability to borrow.

Bankruptcy charge
This is an investigation carried out by the Land Charges Registry to check if a purchaser is or has ever been bankrupt. Most mortgage lenders will insist on this search being carried out and it usually carries a small charge.

Basic valuation
This is carried out for the purposes of mortgage and is prepared for the lender. A survey will also help you to find out independently whether the price is reasonable. Your mortgage lender will almost certainly insist on a basic valuation to make sure that the property is worth the amount you are paying for it. They want to ensure that you will be able to sell it again and therefore that it is a safe investment. Although it is often referred to as a survey, it doesn't go into nearly as much detail as a homebyuyer or full survey would do.

Basis point
A basis point is one one-hundredth of one percentage point. For example, the difference between a loan at 8.25 percent and a mortgage at 8.37 percent is 12 basis points.

BBA - British Bankers Association
This is the trade organisation of the banks.

Before-tax income
Total income before taxes are deducted.

Benefit period
A time period over which the interest rate of a loan is discounted, fixed or capped, for example.

Binder
A report issued by a title insurance company that details the condition of a home's title and provides guidelines for a title insurance policy.

Biweekly mortgage
A mortgage that requires payments every two weeks and helps repay the loan over a shorter term.

Blanket insurance policy
A policy that covers more than one person or piece of property.

Blanket mortgage
A mortgage that covers more than one property owned by the same borrower.

Bonuses
Payments life assurance companies add to a 'with-profits' endowment. Usually made annually, possibly with a final (terminal) bonus when the endowment comes to the end of its term. Bonuses aren't guaranteed and the amount awarded can change each year.

Book value
The value of a property as a capital assetbased on its cost plus any additions, minus depreciation.

Boundaries
These are the areas around a property which identify the start and end of the land and ownership.

Breach of contract
The failure to perform provisions of a contract without a legal excuse.

Breach of covenant
The failure to obey a legal agreement. Breach of warranty A seller's inability to pass clear title to a buyer.

Bridging loan
This is a short term loan provided by a bank or building society which covers you if you need to pay for your next home, while still waiting for the money to come through from the sale of your current home. If you do require one of these, you must ensure that the funds to repay the loan will be in place when the loan period expires.

Broker
Brokers and other intermediaries attempt to arrange suitable financial products or policies for you. They can be fully independent, part of a network that uses a panel of providers, or tied to certain institutions in which case they can only sell their products.

Brokerage
The act of bringing together two or more parties in exchange for a fee or commission.

BSA - Building Societies Association
This is the trade organisation of the building societies.

Building society
Building societies are mutually owned organisations, which exist not for profit but for the benefit of the members. The idea of this is that the society is able to offer cheaper products to its members, though this is not always the case.

Building survey
Also known as a full survey, this is the fullest and most comprehensive of the options open to the property buyer. It involves an extensive investigation of the property and a thorough examination of all the major aspects and minor details that are visible. There is some flexibility as you can request the surveyor to concentrate on specific features of the property. It is most suitable for larger, older homes with more potential for problems and those more than 75 years old, property over three stories in height, buildings of unusual construction (such as thatched, timber etc.), or if you plan to extend, convert or renovate the property. A full structural survey can cost you anything from £400 to £1000.

Buildings and contents insurance
Buildings and contents insurance can often be purchased together protecting both the building structure and your belongings and possessions inside.

Buildings insurance
Buildings insurance is designed to give you financial protection for the basic structure of your home, such as the walls, roof and foundations. This usually includes any external parts of the property such as your shed, garage, conservatory or greenhouse.

Buy to let mortgage
A mortgage designed for people who buy a property with the intention of letting it out. Largely similar to other mortgages, but the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) is usually lower, meaning that a larger deposit is required. Other restrictions may also apply, such as minimum letting terms and rental income. Lenders will normally incorporate a proportion of the rental income when calculating how much money they are willing to lend you.

Buy-down mortgage
A home loan in which the lender receives a premium as an inducement to reduce the interest rate during the early years of the mortgage.

Bylaws
The rules and regulations that a homeowners association or corporation adopts to govern activities.