Kensington mortgage review

Is Kensington a good mortgage lender?

Kensington is a specialist lender which offers mortgages to borrowers who don't meet the lending requirements of mainstream providers.

As part of our annual mortgage lender reviews, we analysed which lenders combine competitive mortgage rates with good customer service.

We found that Kensington offered higher than average rates compared to other lenders. 

It also fared poorly for customer service. Its score of 54% was the joint lowest of the 22 lenders we assessed.  

	Score	Overall ranking
Which? Customer Score	54%	Joint 20th out of 22 mortgage lenders

Our Scores

Which? Customer Score

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction, based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Kensington customer satisfaction scores

The table below shows how Kensington performed in our latest mortgage satisfaction survey, which gathered feedback from homeowners with existing Kensington mortgages about everything from the application process to value for money.

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What types of mortgages does Kensington offer?

Kensington is the 20th largest mortgage provider in the UK.

When we checked in September 2023, there were 352 mortgages available from Kensington. Most were fixed-rate deals, meaning your interest rate stays the same for a set initial period.

Kensington's mortgages had initial periods of two, three or five years. It also offers flexible period lengths - allowing you to fix a mortgage rate for anywhere between 11 years and 40 years.

Kensington also offered a smaller number of variable-rate deals, with initial terms lasting two years before reverting to the lender's standard variable rate.

Does Kensington offer the best mortgage deals?

Which? analysed thousands of mortgages over a four-week period in August 2023. We compiled a series of top 10 cheapest deal tables based on a variety of borrowing scenarios, and counted how many times each lender featured in a table.

The average was five table appearances per week. Kensington didn't feature at all, meaning its deals were never among the cheapest. (Data source: Moneyfacts.)

This is to be expected given that Kensington offers specialist deals for borrowers who can't get a mortgage elsewhere. 

How much could I borrow from Kensington?

Kensington lends to first-time buyers and home movers at 60%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% and 95% loan to value (LTV). If you're remortgaging, you can borrow up to 90% LTV. 

You can borrow anywhere from five to six times your annual household income, depending on the mortgage deal and your financial situation.

How long can the mortgage term be?

Kensington's maximum repayment term varies. Some products have a maximum term of 15 years, while others can last for up to 40 years.

Can I make overpayments?

Most Kensington mortgages allow you to overpay up to 10% of the mortgage balance each year before an early repayment charge (ERC) is triggered. Some products do not allow overpayments.

How can I contact Kensington?

Mortgages from Kensington can only be secured through a mortgage broker.

The general enquiries number is 0333 300 0921.

Its website is Kensingtonmortgages.co.uk.