Before You Switch Car Insurance: What Mid-Term Cancellation Costs
Switching car insurance mid-policy triggers a cancellation fee of £25 to £75 and affects your NCD accrual. At renewal, switching is straightforward.
Before You Claim on Home Insurance: When It Raises Your Premium
Small home insurance claims can cost more in future premium increases than they pay out. Claims are recorded on the CUES database for up to six years.
Before You Cancel Life Insurance: What You Cannot Get Back
Cancelling life insurance stops cover immediately with no premium refund. Future cover will cost more and new health conditions will be excluded.
Before You Take a Fixed Rate Mortgage: What Happens When It Ends
A fixed rate mortgage locks your interest rate but automatically reverts to the SVR at the end of the fix.
Before You Take a Second Charge Mortgage: Risks and Regulated Alternatives
A second charge mortgage puts your home at risk and ranks behind your existing mortgage. Rates are higher than first charge mortgages.
Before You Port Your Mortgage: What Your Lender Will Not Tell You
Porting transfers your existing mortgage rate to a new property but requires lender approval and a new affordability check.
Before You Use a Mortgage Broker: How They Are Paid and What to Ask
Mortgage brokers must be FCA-authorised and disclose how they are paid. Procuration fees from lenders can create conflicts of interest.
Before You Overpay Your Mortgage: Limits, Fees and Smarter Alternatives
Most mortgages allow 10% overpayment per year free of charge. Exceeding this triggers ERCs.
Before You Miss a Mortgage Payment: What Lenders Can and Cannot Do
Missing a mortgage payment is recorded on your credit file and triggers a formal arrears process. FCA rules require lenders to consider forbearance first.
Before You Extend Your Mortgage Term: The True Long-Term Cost
Extending a mortgage term reduces monthly payments but substantially increases total interest paid.
Before You Take a Buy-to-Let Mortgage: Tax, Stress Tests and Voids
Buy-to-let mortgages are assessed on rental income stress tests and Section 24 has fundamentally changed the tax treatment for higher-rate taxpayers.
Before You Remortgage: Fees, Traps and When It Does Not Pay
Remortgaging can reduce payments but early repayment charges and arrangement fees often eliminate savings.
Before You Sign a Business Energy Contract: Traps and TPI Risks
Business energy contracts are unregulated compared to domestic supply. This guide covers broker commission disclosure, auto-rollover clauses, deemed contract rates and why the Ofgem price cap does not protect business customers.
Before You Get a Smart Meter: What Changes and What Does Not
Smart meters are free to install but may lose smart functionality if you switch supplier. This guide explains SMETS1 vs SMETS2 differences, in-home display limitations, time-of-use tariff eligibility and your right to refuse installation.
Before You Exit an Energy Contract Early: Exit Fees and Your Rights
Leaving a fixed energy tariff before it ends triggers exit fees of up to £150 for dual-fuel households. This guide covers when exit fees are waived, your rights when a supplier raises prices, and how to calculate whether leaving early makes financial sense.
Before You Fix Your Energy Tariff: What the Small Print Says
Fixing your energy tariff locks in a unit rate but not always your standing charge. This guide explains exit fees, the price cap relationship, auto-rollover traps and when fixing makes financial sense.
Before You Switch Energy Supplier: Risks, Traps and What to Check First
Switching energy supplier can cut bills but carries risks most comparison sites do not explain. This guide covers exit fees, debt blocks, direct debit traps and your rights if a switch goes wrong.
Family Travel Insurance UK 2026: What It Covers, How to Compare and What to Look For
Family travel insurance covers all named family members under one policy. Here is what is and is not covered, pre-existing conditions, how to compare, and whether annual or single-trip is better value.
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