Secured loans: Exclusively for homeowners

Every loan has some special features and characteristics. If the money requirement is big and you want to borrow for a long term, then secured loans can be a good opportunity. But, small financial requirements for short periods can be effectively met with unsecured loans.

In case of secured loans, you can borrow up to £250,000. Some lenders give as small as £5000 to a secured loan borrower. The exact amount will depend on many factors like unutilised equity in your home, your personal income, your credit history and the tenure of the loan. These determinants affect the terms and conditions of the loan agreement in a big way. Suppose your credit history says that you have past defaults in repayments. Here, the lender may impose some strict conditions in the loan agreement. The lender may either reduce the loan amount or increase the rate of interest. Similarly, higher equity results in a higher loan amount. Other factors, too, play their own role in determining the terms and conditions of the loan agreement.

In case of Secured loan, some lenders may provide you added benefits in the form of repayment holidays, accelerated repayments and free valuation of property. Repayment holidays may extend to anywhere up to six months. This means that in case of any financial hardship, you can skip repayments for up to six months. Similarly, if you have excess money at your disposal, you can use the option of accelerated repayment without inviting any penalty. The only risk involved in case of secured loans is the risk of repossession. The lender may repossess the security if, at any time during the loan tenure, you fail to repay your loan instalments.

Secured loans can be taken from high street banks, housing societies, private online lenders, etc. But, if you want to save time and avoid direct interaction with the lenders, you should opt for online secured loans.

The author is a financial expert in leading lending organisation, currently assisting Longdog Finance to secured loans for their clients, writes imperative articles on Unsecured Loan & Car Loans