Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
If you're struggling to pay your mortgage, you may be able to apply for a six-month payment holiday. You can find out more with the following articles:
- How to apply for a mortgage payment holiday
- How has the coronavirus affected house prices?
- The latest rules on moving home
For the latest updates and advice, visit the Which? coronavirus information hub.
First Direct mortgages customer ratings
This year, First Direct has been named one of just three Which? Recommended Mortgage Providers, meaning we think it's one of the best mortgage lenders in the country.
The table below shows how First Direct mortgages performed in our latest mortgage satisfaction survey, which collected real customer feedback on every aspect of their mortgages.
| Customer rating for: | Star rating |
|---|---|
| Customer service | |
| Application process | - |
| Value for money | |
| Keeping you well informed | |
| Clarity of statements | |
| Transparency of charges | |
| Query and complaint handling | |
| Ability to overpay or underpay mortgage | |
| Online access | |
Star ratings based on a June/July 2020 Which? survey of 3625 members of the general public in which 63 people told us they had their mortgage with First Direct.
What kinds of mortgages does First Direct offer?
Many mortgage lenders have significantly cut their offerings this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
When we checked in September 2020, there were 27 mortgages available from First Direct.
The vast majority were fixed-rate deals, meaning your interest rate stays the same for an initial period.
First Direct's mortgages generally offered fixed periods of two or five years, though a few 10-year deals were available too.
Does First Direct offer the best mortgage deals?
Our experts analysed hundreds of mortgages over a four-week period in July 2020. They compiled a total of 208 ‘top-10 cheapest deal’ tables based on a variety of borrowing scenarios, and counted how many times each lender featured in a table.
The average number of times a lender made it into a table was 15, but First Direct featured 113 times, considerably more than any other lender. This means it consistently offered some of the cheapest mortgage deals. (Data source: Moneyfacts.)
Interest rates on First Direct mortgages
In September 2020, the average rate on a two-year fixed-rate mortgage from First Direct was 2.04%, compared to the overall market average of 2.33%.
How much can I borrow from First Direct?
First Direct will lend to first-time buyers, home movers and remortgagers at 60%, 75%, 80% and 85% loan-to-value.
First Direct doesn't publish its borrowing caps, and doesn't deal with mortgage brokers either, so you'll need to speak to the lender directly about how much you might be able to borrow in relation to your annual salary.
Can I make overpayments?
First Direct's deals allow you to overpay your mortgage in lump-sum or regular payments. Unlike some lenders, it doesn't cap overpayments at 10% of the mortgage balance per year.
How can I contact First Direct?
Mortgages from First Direct are only available directly from the lender, so you won't be able to apply through a mortgage broker.
New customers can contact 03456 100103, and existing customers can call 03456 100236.
Its website is firstdirect.com.
