Nationwide mortgages customer ratings
The table below shows how Which? Recommended Provider Nationwide performed in our latest mortgage satisfaction survey, from application process to value for money.
| Customer rating for: | Star Ratings |
|---|---|
| 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 2018 Which? survey of 3,560 members of the general public, in which 396 people told us they had their mortgage with Nationwide. Where no rating is given the sample size was too small.
What kinds of mortgages does Nationwide offer?
When we checked in July 2018, there were around 430 mortgages available from Nationwide - an impressive number. Most were fixed-rate deals lasting two, three, five or 10 years.
Around a quarter of the mortgages available from Nationwide were tracker deals, lasting two or five years.
Does Nationwide offer the best mortgage deals?
Which? analysis has found that Nationwide offers more cheap mortgages than the average lender.
In order to work this out, our experts analysed thousands of mortgages over a four-week period in June and July 2018. They compiled a total of 108 ‘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 14, while Nationwide featured 32 times. (Data source: Moneyfacts.)
Interest rates on Nationwide mortgages
When we checked in July 2018, most mortgages from Nationwide were fixed-rate deals, meaning your interest rate is guaranteed to stay the same for a set number of years. These fixed-rate mortgages were available for two, three, five or 10 years.
The average interest rate on a two-year fixed-rate deal from Nationwide in July was 2.23%, compared to the industry average of 2.81%.
And when we asked Nationwide mortgage customers in June 2018 about the interest rate they were paying, six in 10 told us they were currently paying between 2% and 2.99%.
How much could I borrow from Nationwide?
Below we’ve outlined how much you could borrow from Nationwide in relation to the percentage of the property’s value.
| Maximum loan size | Maximum loan-to-value |
|---|---|
| £350,000 | 95% |
| £500,000 | 90% |
| £750,000 | 85% |
| £1,000,000 | 80% |
| £2,000,000 | 75% |
If you’re buying a new-build house, you could borrow up to £750,000 on an 85% mortgage or £1,000,000 with an 80% mortgage.
For new-build flats, the most you could borrow is £1,000,000, at 75% of the property’s value.
Your income will also be a deciding factor in how much Nationwide can lend you. The most you could borrow is up to 4.75 times your gross income.
Can I make overpayments?
You can make overpayments of up to 10% of your original loan amount each year, without incurring an early repayment charge, on all Nationwide mortgages reserved on or after 29 May 2013.
For tracker mortgages reserved on or after 2 May 2014, and standard-variable-rate mortgages (which Nationwide calls the Standard Mortgage Rate), there’s no limit on overpayments.
If you overpay by £500 or more, your monthly mortgage payment will be recalculated the following month. And if you overpay by less than £500, your payment will be recalculated at the end of the year. This means that if you want to save interest, you’ll realise the benefit quicker if you overpay by at least £500.
If you make overpayments on a Nationwide mortgage, you could also build up an ‘overpayments reserve’ to underpay your mortgage later.
How can I contact Nationwide?
Existing mortgage customers can call 0800 30 20 11. For new customers it's 0800 30 20 10.
The website is nationwide.co.uk.
Nationwide mortgage eligibility
Nationwide is unlikely to accept a mortgage application from you if you’ve had a property repossessed before.
Mortgages for older borrowers
Nationwide has a ‘Borrowing in Retirement’ scheme for older homeowners with retirement income.
This scheme is available to existing Nationwide mortgage customers, as well as those looking to remortgage to Nationwide from another lender. Customers can apply for a repayment mortgage before their 80th birthday, and the repayment term must end before you’re 85.
Under the scheme, you could borrow up to 60% of your property’s value, as long as this doesn’t exceed £150,000.
How can Nationwide help me onto the property ladder?
Low deposit mortgages
Nationwide offers a range of low deposit mortgages in its ‘Save to Buy’ range. You’ll need to have a deposit of at least 5%.
Save to Buy mortgages are available to first-time buyers and homemovers. Nationwide will consider you to be a first-time buyer if you’re getting your first mortgage, or haven’t had a mortgage in the last three years.
To qualify for a Save to Buy mortgage, you’ll need to be in at least the third month of holding a Help to Buy Isa with Nationwide, or have a Save to Buy Isa/Savings account that was opened before 1 December 2015.
Mortgages from the Save to Buy range aren’t available if you’re purchasing a new-build property.
Family deposit mortgages
If you have a mortgage with Nationwide and want to help a family member onto the property ladder, you could borrow against part of the equity in your home with a Family Deposit Mortgage from Nationwide.
You can then gift this money to a family member to use as a deposit to purchase their own property, although they must also take out a mortgage from Nationwide.
Family Deposit Mortgages are available to first-time buyers and homemovers.
