Mortgage top-up

If you already have a mortgage you may be able to increase or top-up your mortgage to extend or improve your home, cover educational expenses or give a parental gift. Some mortgage lenders may allow you to use a mortgage top up to consolidate short-term debt. Whether you can top-up your mortgage will depend on your lender’s terms and conditions.

You may be able to borrow up to 90% of the current value of your property and there is typically a minimum top up amount, from €10,000 to €25,000.

When deciding on your top up application your lender will consider things like:

• Your current income and ability to afford increased repayments
• Your credit history and recent borrowings
• The current market value of your property
• Your age and the amount of time you want to borrow for

With a mortgage top-up there may be other fees and charges, such as:

• The fee to get an up-to-date property valuation
• Legal fees
• A breakage fee if you are on a fixed-rate mortgage
• Administration fees for changing the terms of your original mortgage
• An increase to your mortgage protection insurance to cover the extra loan amount
• An increase in your home insurance premium if your home is extended or altered
• An increase in the amount of interest you will pay overall on the mortgage

The new mortgage term should suit the purpose of the debt. So if you are topping-up to cover educational costs you don’t want to be paying for it ten years after the course has ended.

If you are looking to top-up your mortgage as a way of consolidating other debts read our information on consolidating debts first.