Home Improvement Loans

How to pay for your home improvements

Home improvement loans are designed to help you do up the house, for example by installing double glazing or doing serious DIY. They're generally secured loans, which means your house is on the line if you fall into arrears.

Buying a house is an expensive game, but keeping it in good condition costs a fortune too. If you want to replace rotten windows with double glazing, add a garage or carry out some major DIY projects, home improvement loans could be the answer.

Home improvement loans are available from most mainstream lenders, and they're usually secured so you'll get a decent APR, but you'll also be risking the loss of your house if you don't keep up with your payments. If you don't like that idea, it might be worth looking at a personal loan instead.

You'll find that lenders fall over themselves to offer home improvement loans, especially if you've got a mortgage with the same firm: it's in the bank's best interests to keep your house in tip-top condition, because they own it until you've made the final mortgage payment. Some home improvement loans are effectively an extension to your mortgage; in these cases, you'll find that the bank will only lend you money for essential work such as a new bathroom, but not inessential things like a scale model of the Taj Mahal in your back garden.

loans.org.uk helps you find the best loans companies for your specific needs, and gives you background information on the various types of loans available in our loans articles, more loans articles and still more loans articles.