A mortgage is probably the biggest financial decision an individual or couple can make in their lifetimes. It is certainly the largest amount of money anyone will borrow in their life and will continue to play a significant role in their personal finances for a large portion of their lives.

The UK has a large percentage of home owners unlike many other European nations such as Germany who have low home owner occupation and prefer to rent. Home ownership in the UK was encouraged by the Thatcher administration and so we find a significant percentage of the population owning home and paying a monthly mortgage