Porting Your Mortgage: Can You Take It With You When You Move?

When you move house, most people assume they need a new mortgage. But there's a powerful option many homeowners don't know about: mortgage porting. This lets you transfer your existing mortgage deal to your new property, sidestepping early repayment charges and keeping the rate you've locked in. On a £250,000 mortgage, porting could save you £2,000–£10,000 or more, depending on your lender's charges and current market rates.

This guide explains what porting is, when your lender will allow it, and whether it's the right move for your house move.

What Is Mortgage Porting?

Mortgage porting is straightforward: you take your existing mortgage deal to your new home instead of repaying it and taking out a new one. Your lender agrees to discharge the mortgage on your old property and register it against your new one. The rate, term, and monthly payment all stay the same — only the property changes.

Here's why porting matters. When you move before your fixed-rate period ends, you normally face an early repayment charge (ERC). These can be 1–5% of the outstanding balance. On a £200,000 mortgage halfway through a 5-year fix, that's £2,000–£10,000 you'd lose simply for moving house. Porting lets you sidestep that entirely.

But — and this is crucial — not all mortgages can be ported, and not all lenders allow it. You'll need to check your mortgage conditions and speak to your lender early in your house hunt. And yes, there's a bit of red tape involved, but most lenders handle it smoothly once they've given you the green light.

When Can You Port a Mortgage?

Three things need to line up:

1. Your lender must allow porting. Most major UK lenders — Nationwide, Halifax, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds — do, but some specialist lenders and smaller providers don't. Check your mortgage offer or ring your lender's customer service line. Get it in writing if possible — a confirmation email is fine.

2. Your new mortgage amount can't exceed your current one. If you're upgrading from a £200,000 property to a £350,000 one, you can port the £200,000 deal but you'll need a fresh mortgage for the additional £150,000 (at today's rates). That new mortgage might be with the same lender or a different one.

3. Your new property must meet the lender's criteria. Most lenders have restrictions: maximum age of building, minimum and maximum values, location limits (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland). A flat in central London might port fine, but a converted barn 20 miles from the nearest service station might not. Lenders are more restrictive with certain property types, so ask upfront before you fall in love with your new home.

If all three are met, you're good to proceed.

How Much Can You Save by Porting?

The savings come in two forms: avoiding the ERC and keeping your rate locked in while new mortgages are more expensive.

Let's run a real example. You're two years into a 5-year fixed mortgage at 3.5% on £200,000. The lender's ERC is 2% — that's £4,000. Current rates for new 3-year fixed mortgages are 4.8%. If you port, you pay nothing upfront and keep your 3.5% rate. If you repay and remortgage, you pay £4,000 in ERCs plus you're borrowing at the new higher rate.

Over the remaining 3 years of the original fix:

• Porting: £1,111/month at 3.5% × 36 months = £39,996
• Remortgaging: approximately £1,222/month at 4.8% × 36 months = £43,992, plus £4,000 ERC = £47,992 total

The difference: £8,000. That's the real cost of repaying early when rates have risen.

The savings are biggest when:

• Your ERC is high (over 2%)
• Rates have risen since you took out your mortgage
• You have several years left on your fix
• Your new property is similar in price to your old one

Use our mortgage calculator to plug in your specific numbers — whether porting or remortgaging makes sense depends on your exact situation. And if you're unclear on how your mortgage payments are structured, our guide to mortgage amortisation explains where each pound of your payment goes (interest vs. capital).

How to Port Your Mortgage: Step by Step

Step 1: Contact your lender early. Don't wait until you've exchanged contracts on the new property. Ring your lender and ask: "Can my mortgage be ported?" Mention the rough value and location of your new property — the lender will quickly tell you whether it's portable or not.

Step 2: Check the new property meets their criteria. If you're buying in a different area, a different type of building, or a significantly different price range, flag it when you first call. Some lenders have strict lending policies on certain postcodes or property types.

Step 3: Confirm porting language in your mortgage offer. When your lender issues the new mortgage offer, it should clearly reference the ported amount, the rate, the term, and your monthly payment. Double-check this document — you want no ambiguity about what you're carrying across.

Step 4: Coordinate with your conveyancer and both lenders. Once you're in conveyancing, your solicitor or conveyancer will liaise with your current lender and the new one to discharge the old mortgage and register the new one against the new property. This happens at completion — you won't have a gap where you're uninsured.

Step 5: Arrange any additional borrowing. If the new property costs more and you need extra funds, the same lender will usually offer you an additional mortgage for the difference at current rates. Alternatively, you could arrange a second charge mortgage from another lender. Most people just take the extra amount from their existing lender — simpler, one payment, one set of terms.

When Porting Doesn't Work — and What to Do Instead

Porting can't happen if:

• Your lender doesn't allow porting (tough luck — you'll need to remortgage)
• The new property doesn't meet their lending criteria (listed building they won't touch, or it's abroad)
• You're borrowing significantly more and the lender won't stretch to both amounts
• Your mortgage is in arrears or you've missed payments (your lender will need to see you've caught up first)

In these cases, you'll need to remortgage. Yes, you'll face an ERC, but depending on how much rates have moved and the size of the charge, it might still be worth it. Our affordability calculator helps you factor in the true cost of moving — not just the mortgage, but conveyancer fees, surveys, stamp duty, and the ERC.

You might also explore whether a longer mortgage term could lower your monthly payments if you're running out of time on your current fix, though this extends how long you're paying interest overall.

One thing to note: if you're porting and want to understand what you're carrying forward, read your mortgage statement carefully. Any overpayments you've made typically stay with the ported mortgage, which is good — they reduce the amount you're carrying across.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will my credit score be affected by porting? A: No. Porting isn't a new mortgage application, so there's no hard credit check. Your lender already knows you; they're just shifting the loan to a new property. You might see a soft search on your credit file, but it won't damage your score.

Q: Can I port a mortgage if I have less than 2 years left on my fix? A: Yes. The time left on the fix doesn't matter. What matters is whether your lender allows porting and the new property fits their criteria. You can port a mortgage with 6 months remaining on the deal.

Q: What if my new property is much cheaper than the old one? A: Porting still works fine. If you're downsizing from a £300,000 property to a £200,000 one, you can port a £200,000 mortgage. The lender won't force you to port more than the new property's value — they want to lend sensibly. You'll simply discharge the debt against the old property and register the smaller balance against the new one.

Q: Can I port if I'm switching lenders? A: No. Porting is specific to staying with the same lender. If you want to move to a better rate elsewhere, you're technically remortgaging, which triggers an ERC. A few lenders offer special deals to customers switching to them — rare, but worth asking.

Q: What if I'm buying with a partner for the first time? A: Porting works the same way. Both of you will be named on the ported mortgage, just as you are now. Make sure both names appear on the new property's legal documents, and the lender will carry everything across without fuss.

Q: Will porting delay my house purchase? A: Only slightly. There's an extra step — confirming the porting agreement with your lender — but most handle it smoothly and it shouldn't add more than a few days to conveyancing. The real timeline bottleneck is usually your old property's sale, not the mortgage porting itself.

Q: Is porting worth it if rates are much lower now? A: Probably not. If you're locked into 5% and new rates are 3.8%, you'll pay an ERC but you'll recoup it within 18–24 months through the lower monthly payment. In that case, remortgaging makes sense despite the charge. Use our mortgage calculator to work out the exact payback period for your numbers.

Next Steps

If you're moving and you're early enough in your mortgage's fixed period, porting could save you thousands. Here's what to do:

1. Phone your current lender today. Ask whether your mortgage is portable and whether your new property will qualify. Keep notes of the lender's reference number and the person's name in case you need to follow up.

2. Check the early repayment charge on your mortgage offer. This tells you exactly how much you'd save by porting versus remortgaging. The charge is usually a percentage of the outstanding balance, or sometimes a fixed number of months' interest.

3. Use our mortgage calculator to compare scenarios — porting your current deal versus remortgaging at today's rates. Plug in real numbers for both and see which comes out cheaper over the life of the remaining fix.

4. Factor in the full cost of moving. Beyond the mortgage, you'll face conveyancer fees (£800–£1,500), surveys (£250–£600), stamp duty, and possibly estate agent fees. Our affordability calculator includes these to show you the true cost of moving house.

If you've already sold your old property and exchanged on a new one, porting is usually your path of least financial resistance. But if you have the luxury of time, spend 20 minutes comparing the ported rate against three new mortgage offers at today's rates — the difference might surprise you. And remember: your lender's rules might change, so get their confirmation in writing before you commit to the move.