Adding an extra room in your loft or just routine maintenance on an aging property is expensive and often the best way to proceed is by applying for a home improvement loan. Home improvements can be costly, involving contractors, supplies, and tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers, roofers, and electricians.



While most homeowners are eligible for a home improvement loan, if they do not have a good credit history, they may be required to use a secured loan using their home as equity. When a homeowner has only just purchase the home, they are still able to arrange a loan, subject to their status of course. This type of zero equity financing usually has a fixed interest rate of up to 15 years.

However, one stipulation for a zero equity finance arrangement is that the combined income of the owners reaches a specified limit but it must not be greater than the limit imposed by the county where they live. The loan process for people applying for a no equity loan is minimal even though the property and type of improvements planned are looked into.

In essence, when a home improvement loan is secured against the property, the applicants are in fact using the spare equity in their property to finance the loan. The upside to this type of secured loan is it's available at more favorable rates of interest but is not arranged as a second mortgage on the property.

This is not an open ended finance agreement and a valuation of your property will be required for a secured loan to be arranged. All factors are considered before a final amount is agreed upon and that includes how much is owed on the mortgage, its current value and what other debts the owners may have.

All these factors will be considered for putting a loan package together for your consideration. Usually, finance companies will lend you a percentage of the assessed value of your house but some lenders can lend as high as 125 percent of your home's equity.

An equity based loan can be risky if you arrange to lend an amount greater than you can comfortably afford so consider this carefully as you may end up handing your beautiful home over to your creditors. So when you arrange a home improvement loan, it is best to use it only for necessary repairs and make renovations or home additions only when you have the money to spare.