Switch to a new deal online

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage, we will treat you fairly.

We will:

• contact you as soon as possible to discuss your problem;
• talk to agencies who give advice (for example, Citizens' Advice) and are acting on your behalf if you want us to;
• give you a reasonable time to pay back the debt; and
• only start proceedings to repossess your home if we cannot solve the problem with you.

We might be able to:

• arrange a new payment plan with you taking your and our interests into account;
• change the way you make your payments or the date you make them;
• allow you to pay back your mortgage over a longer period of time (which could reduce your monthly payments). This may increase the total amount you pay back; or
• change the type of mortgage.

If we cannot do any of these things, we will tell you why. If we can make one of these arrangements with you, we will explain how it would work and give you an agreed period of time to consider it first.

What you can do to help us:

• Tell us as soon as possible if you are having problems repaying your mortgage, or anticipate having problems.
• Get in touch with us quickly if we try to contact you.
• Make sure you keep any other people paying the mortgage, and anyone guaranteeing the mortgage, up to date with what is happening.
• Keep to the payment plan we agree with you. If you do not make the payments, we might have to go to court to get back any money you owe us or to repossess your property.
• Check whether you can get any state benefits or tax credits.
• If you have an insurance policy, check whether it would help with your payments.
• Tell us if you move to a new address.

You may want to talk to a professional adviser, such as a debt counsellor or a lawyer, before you change your mortgage arrangements.

Costs and charges

We may charge you for administrative and legal costs. We will tell you the amount you will have to pay.

If we cannot agree on a solution

• If we cannot agree on a payment plan with you, we may go to court to start proceedings to repossess your home.
• We will keep trying to solve the problem with you, by talking to you about a payment plan, throughout the process or assisting you with the sale of your property.
• Before we repossess your home, we will give you advice about getting in touch with your local authority to see if they can find you somewhere else to live.

If we repossess your home

• We will sell it for the best price we can reasonably get. We will try to sell it as soon as possible.
• We will give you reasonable time to take your possessions from your home.
• We will use the money raised from selling your home to pay your mortgage first, then any other loans or charges secured on the property.
• If there is any money left over, we will pay it to you.

If selling your home does not raise enough money to pay off the mortgage

• If there is not enough money from the sale to pay the whole mortgage, you will still owe us the amount that is left. We will tell you what this is as soon as possible and contact you for you to arrange to pay back what you still owe.
• If you bought your home with other people, each of you is responsible for all the money borrowed. This is true even if you normally only pay part of the mortgage.
• We will take account of your income and outgoings when we arrange a payment plan with you. But if we cannot arrange a suitable plan, we may go to court to get our money back. You might have to pay the court costs.
• Not being able to pay off your mortgage could affect whether you are able to get credit in future.

View all existing NatWest mortgage customer FAQs

You can switch to a new deal if your existing deal is within 3.5 months of ending or if you're paying the Standard Variable Rate. We have exclusive rates available to existing customers. There's no need for a valuation or credit check unless you want to change the valuation we store for your property at the time of the last application . Call us on 0800 092 9585 (minicom 0800 917 0789), contact your local branch or use our online switching service.

View all existing NatWest mortgage customer FAQs

Yes. We can move your mortgage to your new home. There's also the potential to arrange additional borrowing to cover any extra costs for the new property.

View all existing NatWest mortgage customer FAQs

The rates we offer are related to the Bank of England base rate and interest rates in general. As these rates move up and down over time, the rates we can offer you also move up and down.

View all existing NatWest mortgage customer FAQs

You may want to pay a lump sum in to your mortgage before you switch to a new deal. This could reduce your Loan to Value (LTV) and make you eligible for products in a lower LTV band, meaning you could be able to secure a lower interest rate.

You can also overpay up to 10% of your mortgage balance each year to your mortgage. This will reduce the amount of interest you pay.

If you are in a position that you would like to overpay on a regular basis you may want to discuss our Offset Flexible Mortgage with a mortgage adviser.

You will need to if you are borrowing more, changing your term or repayment method or paying a lump sum in to your mortgage.

Changing your mortgage

There are many ways in which your circumstances can change throughout the term of your mortgage and we are here to make sure that we can help you manage this. Below are some examples of how you may wish to change your mortgage.

Overpayment - You may want to pay a lump sum in to your mortgage before you switch to a new deal. This could reduce your Loan to Value (LTV) and make you eligible for products in a lower LTV band, meaning you could be able to secure a lower interest rate.
You can also overpay up to 10% of your mortgage balance each year to your mortgage. This will reduce the amount of interest you pay.
If you are in a position that you would like to overpay on a regular basis you may want to discuss our Offset Flexible Mortgage with a mortgage adviser.

Additional Borrowing - As part of a product switch you can take Additional Borrowing at the same interest rate as the new deal. You will only pay one fee for securing the new deal on both parts of your mortgage. Additional Borrowing cannot be requested online and if you would like to discuss your options please call a mortgage adviser on 0800 400 999 or pop in to your local branch.

Moving home - You may be thinking about moving home and switching to a new mortgage deal. Our products are portable, and no Early Repayment Charge (ERC) is applicable, if you have the same borrowing amount or more. To port your mortgage you will need to have a valuation for the new property, remain on the same Loan to Value, meet our credit criteria and port within three months of this.

If you do need to change your mortgage details before you switch to a new deal this is an important decision, and you may need to speak with one of our mortgage advisers. You can do this by calling 0800 400 999.

Would you need to pay an early repayment charge to break your deal?

If you are in a deal, not rolling off in the next three months, and wish to break the deal as your circumstances have changed, you need to speak to one of our mortgage advisers. In these circumstances you are not eligible to use the online switching application.

Is only a part of your mortgage eligible for switching?

If you have a multiple part mortgage, not all parts may be on the same deal. They may be on different terms, different repayment methods and / or different product types, depending on how you have set your mortgage up.

If you are eligible to switch deals on one or more parts of your mortgage and not on other parts, you may find it useful to discuss your options with a mortgage adviser. It is important you are aware of all your options so that you can make an informed decision.

If you do then you should make sure that you speak to all parties on the mortgage before choosing to switch to a new deal. Once you have selected a new deal through the online switching application you will be sent the deal documentation. This must be reviewed and accepted by all parties on the mortgage.

We'll write to you around three months before your mortgage deal ends with information about the products you'll be eligible to switch to. We'll tell you your existing deal end date and how to go about switching to a new deal.

View all existing NatWest mortgage customer FAQs

No valuation is required

When you are switching your existing mortgage to a new deal we do not require a new valuation. We will use the last valuation we have for your home. If you think your house value has changed you may want to instruct a new valuation.

If you do want to discuss your valuation you can do so by speaking with a mortgage adviser on 0800 400 999.

No credit score or legal fees

As you are an existing customer you do not have to go through an application process or credit reference searches. There are also no legal fees. If you re-mortgage to another lender you may need to go through this process.

Choose your method of paperwork delivery

Details of your new mortgage deal will be sent to you once you have completed the online switching application. You can choose to have these documents sent to you by email or through the post.

If you choose to receive this information by email you will receive your documents in PDF format. You can then print off or save for your own records. If you are happy with your new rate, then call us to accept your deal over the phone or return the paperwork in the post.

Timescales

You must accept your deal within 14 days and this date will be advised to you in the documentation you receive. This will ensure you secure the deal you have requested. Our products can change from time to time and if the acceptance of your deal is after this time period we may not be able to honour the product you originally requested.

Product fee

A product fee is part of the price of the product. This will only be taken once you have confirmed acceptance of the new deal, either by accepting the deal by phone or by returning your paperwork by post. At this point the fee becomes non refundable.