Coronavirus (COVID-19) mortgages update
The current deadline for mortgage payment holiday applications, which allow homeowners to defer payments for up to six months, is 31 January 2021. You can find out more with the following articles:
- How to apply for a mortgage payment holiday
- What's happened to mortgages during COVID-19?
- How has the coronavirus affected house prices?
For the latest updates and advice, visit the Which? coronavirus information hub.
Kensington mortgage customer ratings
Kensington focuses on mortgages for people who struggle to borrow from mainstream lenders, for example those with bad credit.
Here's how its customers rated it when we surveyed them in 2020:
| 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 42 people told us they had their mortgage with Kensington.
What kinds of mortgages does Kensington offer?
When we checked in September 2020, there were 54 mortgages available from Kensington, all of which were fixed-rate deals - meaning your interest rate will stay the same for a set period of time.
All of Kensington's mortgages came with a initial period of either two or five years.
Does Kensington 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 16, but Kensington didn't feature at all. (Data source: Moneyfacts.)
This is unsurprising, as bad-credit mortgages tend to have higher rates than more mainstream deals.
- Find out more: bad credit mortgages
Interest rates on Kensington mortgages
In September 2020, the average rate on a two-year fixed-rate mortgage from Kensington was 3.92%, compared to the overall market average of 2.33%.
How much can I borrow from Kensington?
Kensington will lend to first-time buyers, home movers and remortgagers at 70%, 75%, 80% and 85% loan-to-value.
Kensington doesn't publish its borrowing caps, so you'll need to speak to your broker about how much you might be able to borrow in relation to your annual salary.
Can I make overpayments?
Kensington doesn't allow overpayments on its mortgages.
How can I contact Kensington?
Kensington mortgages are only available through selected brokers, so you’ll need to contact a mortgage adviser to find out more.
Its website is kensingtonmortgages.co.uk.
