What type of mortgages do they offer?

Handelsbanken has a wide mortgage product range divided into the follow categories:

• Residential mortgages: Fixed rate, trackers and offset mortgages are available.
• Remortgages: As a decentralised bank they can make quick, in-branch decisions on remortgage applications.
• Buy-to-let: Available for everyone from first-time landlords to portfolio holders.
• Additional secured lending: They offer a range of solutions for customers who want to borrow extra for purposes such as home improvements.
• Self-build mortgages: Available for borrowers who are building their own home.
• Other property finance: Handelsbanken also provides niche types of property finance, including commercial mortgages and land, forest and agricultural finance.

The Swedish lender’s product line includes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 year fixed-rate mortgages, as well as 1, 2, 3 and 5-year tracker mortgages. These mortgages can be taken out on a capital repayment, interest-only, or part-and-part basis, offering a choice of repayment type.

Eligibility criteria

Handelsbanken’s general eligibility criteria is as follows:

• Deposit requirements: As Handelsbanken are a specialist lender, their deposit requirements are slightly higher than on the high street, starting at 15% (85% LTV).
• Credit history: They do not specify a policy on adverse credit, but as a specialist lender, Handelsbanken has flexibility to assess bad credit on a case-by-case basis.
• Mortgages sizes: Their minimum mortgage size is £5,000. At the other end of the scale, their standard product range has an upper lending cap of £2 million, but they will offer larger mortgages than this under their specialist lines.
• Property location: Handelsbanken will lend in England, Wales and Scotland, but will only accept standard security (properties free on unusual characteristics) in the latter.
• Other requirements: All borrowers must be aged over 18, be a UK resident and must not be aged over 80 by the end of the mortgage term.

Please note that the above criteria largely applies to Handelsbanken’s residential range. Specialist products like investment mortgages and self-build have additional criteria to meet.

What rates should you expect?

Although Handelsbanken are a specialist lender, their mortgage rates are largely competitive with some high street banks and other mortgage providers.

Here are some examples of their rates at the time of writing (October 2024):

• Standard variable rate: 7.99% 
• Two and three-year fixed rates: Around 5.35% 
• Four-year fix: Around 5.15% 
• Five and ten-year fixes: Both below 5% 
• One, two, three, and five-year tracker rates: Around six per cent 

Handelsbanken's most competitive deals are available to borrowers with 40% deposits.

How much will they let you borrow?

Handelsbanken calculates mortgage affordability based on 4.5 times the applicant’s annual salary. You can find out what that will amount to for you and compare it to the high income multiples some other lenders use by entering your income into our calculator below:

Are Handelsbanken a good mortgage lender?

They have a solid reputation as a lender who specialises in wealthier clients and those seeking niche finance, such as self-build mortgages and finance for buying land. They currently hold a rating of 2.7/5 on consumer review aggregation service Trustpilot.

Pros and cons

Below we have highlighted the pros and cons of Handelsbanken as a mortgage lender to help you decide whether they are the right option for you:

How to apply for a mortgage with Handelsbanken

Handelsbanken works with mortgage brokers like Teito to ensure their clients get the best deal. You can access our free comparison service below to make sure Handelsbanken is the best lender for your needs - one of our brokers will review this for you as part of the service.

Once the best mortgage for you has been identified - whether that’s with Handelsbanken or another lender - one of our expert brokers will walk you through the next steps.

Get started here to compare the latest mortgage rates across the market and begin a free, no-obligation chat with a broker who specialises in Handelsbanken’s product line.