The small print, sourced and dated
Every lender writes different small print. Here it is.
"You can overpay 10% a year" is the rule of thumb — but NatWest allows 20%, Nationwide measures against your original loan, and Halifax against your balance on 1 January. The differences are worth real money, and they live in pages nobody reads. We read them, link them, and date every check. Where a lender's public pages don't confirm a detail, the page says so — we use the common market rule: 10% of the balance each year, resetting either on 1 January or on the deal anniversary depending on the lender rather than invent a figure.
Halifax
10% of the amount owed as at 1 January, each calendar year · lock window ~4 months
Nationwide
10% of the original loan amount, each year · lock window ~4 months
NatWest
20% of the outstanding balance, each year · lock window ~4 months
Royal Bank of Scotland
20% of the outstanding balance, each year · lock window ~4 months
Santander
10% of the fixed-rate loan, each calendar year (January to December) · lock window ~4 months
HSBC
10% of the outstanding balance, each year, on the account's opening date or the fixed-rate start date · lock window ~3 months
Barclays
Allowance not verified — assumption applies · lock window ~3 months
Virgin Money
10% of the mortgage balance, each calendar year
TSB
10% of the amount owed at 1 January, each calendar year
Coventry Building Society
10% of the balance, each year
Your lender missing, or a rule out of date? Tell us — a correction with a source beats a guess every time. And when you want your own dates watched rather than looked up, the timeline is free and a watch is £7.99, once.
WatchMyMortgage is independent and takes no commission from any lender. Rules change; each lender page shows its source and the date we checked it. This is information, not financial advice.