When you sell, the mortgage on your current home is normally repaid from the sale proceeds at completion. If you are buying again, you can apply for a new mortgage or ask whether your existing deal can be ported. The best route depends on the two properties, your finances, the timing and the full cost of each option.
Which moving-home route are you taking?
The mortgage decision follows what you will do with the property you own now. Tell your adviser and conveyancer whether you will sell it, keep it temporarily or let it out; the dates can change the answer.
Sell and buy at the same time
Your conveyancer uses the sale money to redeem the old mortgage. A new loan funds the purchase if you need one. Ask early whether keeping your existing deal through a porting application is possible and worthwhile.
Sell first, buy later
The old mortgage is repaid when the sale completes. If you want to port its deal to a later purchase, ask the lender about its time limit and any charge or refund terms before agreeing dates. You will still need a new application for the next home.
Keep your existing home
If you will let it, contact the current lender before a tenant moves in. Consent to let, a different mortgage, insurance and the affordability of your next purchase all need checking. Our let-to-buy page covers that separate route.
Buying before you sell? Your deposit and monthly commitments may have to be covered while you own both homes. Ask a lender or adviser to assess that overlap before relying on expected sale proceeds.
How much of the sale price will you actually have for the next home?
Your conveyancer requests a mortgage redemption statement and repays the lender from the sale proceeds on completion. What remains is your equity after the mortgage and selling costs are settled. It may be less than the balance shown in an online banking app because the final statement can include interest to the payment date, an early repayment charge or an account-closing fee.
A useful planning calculation: expected sale price − dated mortgage redemption figure − estate agent and conveyancing costs − other secured debts or sale costs = an estimate of money available. Ask your conveyancer for the completion statement before treating the figure as final.
If the sale price may not cover the mortgage and costs, speak to the lender and conveyancer promptly. Do not exchange contracts or commit to another purchase on the assumption that the shortfall will resolve itself.
What should you check, and when?
Before you market or offer
Find your mortgage account number, balance, deal end date and any early repayment charge. Ask the lender whether the deal is portable and how long any porting window lasts. Work out a buying budget using sale proceeds after costs, not the advertised sale price.
When the sale and purchase are agreed
Tell the adviser and conveyancer about both transactions and any gap between them. A new mortgage or port normally requires an application, a property check and an offer. Let the conveyancer coordinate redemption, deposit funds and completion dates.
Before completion
Check the latest redemption and completion figures. Confirm what money is needed from you, when it must reach the conveyancer and whether any porting conditions remain. If a chain or date changes, tell the lender and adviser before assuming an offer or deal still fits.
The legal process and property taxes differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Your conveyancer should explain the rules and deadlines that apply to the home you are selling and buying.
Which mortgage costs could change the decision?
Leaving the old loan
- Early repayment charge, if the current product applies one.
- Any mortgage closing or administration fee in the terms.
- Interest up to the date the loan is repaid.
Funding the next home
- Deposit from savings or the completed sale.
- Product, valuation, legal and moving costs where applicable.
- Different borrowing or a different rate if you need more or less than the old balance.
A low-looking new monthly payment is not the whole comparison. Ask for the total cost over the period you expect to keep the deal, including charges and any extra borrowing. Our porting guide explains the lender decision in detail; this article is about organising the move around it.
If your income, employment or credit record has changed, raise it before you rely on a mortgage offer. The lender may reassess both affordability and the new property. Bad credit mortgage guidance is available if adverse credit is part of the picture.
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Moving home and your existing mortgage
Do I have to pay off my mortgage when I sell my home?
Usually, yes. Your conveyancer obtains a redemption figure and uses the sale proceeds to repay the mortgage at completion. If you are porting a deal, the old loan is still redeemed and a new loan is arranged for the new property, subject to the lender’s terms and assessment.
Can I take my mortgage rate to a new property?
You may be able to port the deal if your product allows it and the lender accepts the new application and property. Porting is not an automatic transfer of the existing loan. Ask the lender about any deadline, extra borrowing and charges before committing to the move.
What happens if I buy before my current home sells?
You may need to fund and pass affordability checks for both properties until the sale completes. Ask your lender and conveyancer how the timing affects the purchase, any early repayment charge and a proposed port. Do not assume the sale proceeds will be available for the new deposit before completion.
Will I pay an early repayment charge when I move?
You might if you redeem the mortgage during a period when the product charges one. Porting may change the outcome under the lender’s terms, including any refund conditions or time limit. Request a dated redemption statement and compare the full costs of each route.
Can I keep my current home and rent it out?
Possibly, but speak to your mortgage lender before letting. You may need consent to let or a different mortgage, and the lender will assess any new borrowing separately. Check insurance, tax and landlord obligations with the relevant professionals.
What if my income or credit history has changed since I last applied?
A new mortgage or porting application can involve fresh affordability, credit and property checks. A change does not by itself decide the outcome, but it can affect the options. Disclose it early and ask an adviser to assess your current position before relying on a particular deal.
Where the process was checked
These UK consumer sources were checked on 15 October 2026. Your lender’s offer and redemption statement, the conveyancer’s completion figures and current rules govern your own transaction.
- MoneyHelper: selling a house or flat — mortgage repayment, porting and sale costs.
- MoneyHelper: mortgage interest-rate options — porting a deal still involves a new application and assessment.
- MoneyHelper: buying and moving costs — budgeting for the whole move.
This article gives general information, not a mortgage recommendation, legal or tax advice. Lender policy, charges and affordability decisions depend on your circumstances and can change.
Discuss the two properties and the dates
Tell Count Ready whether you plan to sell or keep your current home, your rough mortgage balance, the price range of the next property and any target dates. We can help you understand which mortgage checks to make before you commit. An initial conversation is not an approval or a promise that porting will be possible.
Do not send bank statements, identity documents or credit reports through an open enquiry form. Read our Terms of Business for fees and service details. Count Ready is a broker, not a lender. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.