What is a secured loan?

It is a cash loan that is tied to an asset that you own. If you are unable to pay back your loan the lender can repossess the asset, and sell it to get their money back.

Most lenders use property as their security, but some will let you use other items like your car or other valuables.

Secured loans tend to be for larger sums or to buy specific items, like vehicles or property. They set a maximum loan to value (LTV) percentage.

What is a LTV ratio?

The loan to value ratio is the size of a loan compared to the value of a property expressed as a percentage.

For example, if you owned a property outright worth £200,000 and the maximum LTV was 75%, the most you could borrow would be £150,000.

While this sets an upper limit, how much you can borrow is still based on what you can afford and your credit record.

Pros and cons

Types of secured loan

• Homeowner: These loans are secured against your property and are normally for larger sums over £25,000. They can last for anywhere from 3 to 35 years.

• Logbook: These loans are secured against your vehicle and the money you borrow can be used for any purpose.

• Vehicle finance: These loans are secured against the vehicle you buy using a finance agreement. Once you have paid off the finance agreement you will own the vehicle.

• Bridging: These loans are secured against your property and are normally large loans to bridge the gap between other finance being agreed.

• Some debt consolidation: These loans can be secured against your property, and sometimes other assets, to pay off existing debts.

What is an unsecured loan?

It is a cash loan where you do not need to add anything as security; you just borrow money from the lender as a lump sump and pay it back over an agreed amount of time.

You could borrow up to £25,000 with an unsecured loan, sometimes more, and they tend to last between one and seven years.

How much an unsecured loan will cost depends on how risky the lender considers you to be, some of the things they look at include:

• How much you want to borrow

• How long you want to borrow for

• Your credit record

• Your income

Pros and cons

Types of unsecured loan

• Personal: These loans let you to borrow a cash lump sum and pay the money back over an agreed amount of time.

• Guarantor: These loans allow you to borrow money with the help of a friend or family member.

• Peer to peer: These loans allow you to borrow money from other people online, in exchange they earn a return on their money from the interest you pay.

• Some debt consolidation: These loans can be used to pay off your existing debts to make them easier to manage and cheaper to pay back.

What are the risks?

Both types of loan share some of the same risks, including:

• Taking on borrowing you cannot afford

• Damage to your credit record

• Fees if you are late paying or miss a payment

• Being taken to court if you default

Secured loans also put your belongings at risk, because the lender can repossess whatever you have chosen to list as security on the loan if you cannot pay it back.

Should I choose a secured or unsecured loan?

If there are two identical loans but one is secured and the other unsecured, you should pick the unsecured loan.

You should only choose a secured loan over an unsecured loan if:

• It is much cheaper than the unsecured alternative

• You need to borrow over a longer term, over 10 years

• You need to borrow a large amount, over £25,000

This is because the secured loan has a claim on your property so it puts it at greater risk if something were to go wrong.

Secured vs unsecured loans FAQs