NatWest mortgage review: does it have the best mortgages for borrowers?

About NatWest

NatWest Group evolved from hundreds of smaller banks across the United Kingdom. These include NatWest or National Westminster Bank Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, Isle of Man Bank, Coutts and many others. NatWest was the winner of the "Best Bank" at the Your Mortgage Awards 2024 where it was also awarded the 'Best Lender for Service' and 'Best Green Mortgage Lender'. More recently NatWest was awarded "Best Overall Lender" at the What Mortgage Awards 2025. NatWest Group is the leading business and retail bank in the UK, serving over 20 million customers.

What is a NatWest mortgage?

NatWest is a well-known high-street bank and mortgage lender. It offers fixed and tracker rate mortgages to residential and buy-to-let borrowers who are either first-time buyers, movers, or those looking to remortgage.

NatWest mortgage key features

• Fixed and tracker-rate mortgages for residential and buy-to-let borrowers
• Lending up to 5 times annual income, depending on circumstances
• Fee-free mortgage options are available, alternatively, a £995 or £1,495 product fee is chargeable
• £250 to £500 cashback available with some mortgage products
• Capacity to repay up to 10% of the mortgage balance each year without having to pay an early repayment charge

NatWest mortgage pros and cons

Pros	Cons
A variety of mortgage products, including green mortgages and cashback options Fee-free products, albeit at a slightly higher interest rate Lending up to 5.5 times income for some borrowers, depending on personal circumstances	The £995 or £1,495 product fee for a large number of its mortgages is relatively high compared to some rival lenders You are unlikely to be approved for a mortgage if you have a poor credit history

What types of mortgages does NatWest offer?

NatWest offers mainly fixed-rate mortgages, typically with a 2- or 5-year introductory period, although it also has several tracker products in its range, as you would expect from a mainstream lender. In addition to its standard residential and buy-to-let mortgages, it also offers a number of more specialist options, including:

• Green mortgage - a discounted rate is offered on energy-efficient houses with an EPC rating of A or B and a maximum LTV of 85%. There is also the potential to earn cashback on these products
• 95% LTV mortgage - with this range, borrowers only have to put forward between a 5% and 9% deposit on a property worth up to £600,000, which makes it easier for people to get on the property ladder. The interest rates are generally higher than for lower LTV mortgages
• Cashback mortgage - a range that gives a cashback bonus on the day you first draw down your mortgage
• Shared equity mortgage - where you take an equity loan to cover some of the deposit and the rest of your property price is covered by a normal mortgage allowing you to buy with a smaller deposit

How much can I borrow with a NatWest mortgage?

NatWest has an online mortgage calculator which gives prospective borrowers an idea of how much they are likely to be able to borrow from NatWest and what the monthly repayments would cost. This works by taking details of the applicants' income, existing financial commitments, dependents and the likely LTV of the mortgage before calculating the loan amount. Generally, this is anything up to 5 times annual income, depending on your circumstances. However, it is important to note that this figure may change once you have submitted your full application and disclosed more detailed information.

What interest rates does NatWest charge?

As interest rates frequently change, it is worth checking with NatWest - either directly or through an intermediary - what the latest mortgage rates are at the point you are considering taking out a mortgage. At the time of writing, the following mortgage deals were available:

• 2-year fixed rate purchase mortgage at up to 60% LTV for 3.56% with a £995 product fee
• 5-year fixed rate purchase mortgage at up to 75% LTV for 3.99% with no product fee
• 2-year fixed rate green mortgage at up to 60% LTV for 3.51% with £995 product fee

At the end of the introductory period, the interest rate reverts to the lender's standard variable rate, which is currently 6.74%.

You can use our Mortgage Rate Comparison Tool to find the best current mortgage rates and deals available in the market. It can also be helpful to speak to an independent mortgage broker - Habito* is an online mortgage broker that offers mortgage advice and guidance online and over the phone, searching more than 90 lenders' mortgage deals in the process.

How long does it take to get a mortgage offer from NatWest?

While lenders generally try to be as efficient as possible when processing mortgage applications, the time it takes will vary depending on the time of the year and the number of applications they have to deal with. At the time of writing, NatWest states it is taking an average of 2 days to complete initial underwriting for new applications from employed borrowers, with a further 2 days dedicated to assessing further information necessary to complete the process. NatWest takes 1 day on average to port mortgage illustrations and 9 days to get an offer.

What fees does NatWest charge for its mortgages?

In addition to the fees you will pay to a solicitor for completing the legal side of the property transaction, there may also be charges levied by the mortgage lender. In the case of NatWest, the two main charges are a product fee and a valuation fee. NatWest offers fee-free mortgage deals but the interest rate is usually slightly higher for these. More competitive interest rates are found with NatWest mortgage deals where the product fee is charged at around £995. If you opt for a mortgage that has a product fee, you have the choice to pay it upfront or add it to the mortgage, although it will then attract interest.

In terms of the valuation fee, some NatWest mortgages offer a free standard valuation. For those that do charge a fee, the price is £102 for properties worth up to £3m and £1,380 for properties between £3m-£10m.

Mortgage applicants will usually have to show evidence of buildings insurance for the full term of their mortgage before completing a NatWest mortgage.

Can you make overpayments on your NatWest mortgage?

NatWest customers are entitled to overpay their mortgage by up to 10% of the outstanding mortgage balance each year. If the borrower exceeds this limit, there may be an early repayment charge payable, which will vary depending on the individual mortgage product. You will need to check the terms of conditions to find out exactly what the charge is and whether it is worth making the overpayment.

What is the maximum mortgage term with NatWest?

The longest mortgage term for a NatWest residential mortgage is 40 years; 35 years for an interest only/mixed mortgage type or 30 years for an interest-only loan of more than £500,000. The maximum age the applicant can be at the end of the term is 75 for repayment mortgages and 70 otherwise. Meanwhile, for buy-to-let mortgages, the maximum term is 35 years if the loan is for more than £500,000, with a maximum age of 80 at the end of the term. Non owner occupiers and portfolio landlords will usually be limited to taking a mortgage until the age of 70 with NatWest.

What credit reference agency does NatWest use?

NatWest uses information from the credit reference agency Equifax to obtain mortgage applicants' credit scores. At the point that you submit your mortgage application, the lender will run a full credit check on you to assess your past financial behaviour and your overall creditworthiness. This means looking at the information held about you with one or more of the main credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax or TransUnion.  To see if you are likely to be accepted and to check for any inaccuracies on your file, you can look at your full credit report. You'll find helpful information about how to do this in our article, "The best way to check your credit score for free".

Does NatWest offer mortgages to people with bad credit?

NatWest is unlikely to approve a mortgage if one or more of the applicants has seriously impaired credit. It will run a credit check to look for instances of late/missed payments, defaults, CCJs, IVAs and bankruptcy, among other issues. It will also look at your overall credit rating and, if this is good enough, may overlook some late payments or unsecured loan arrears on a case-by-case basis.

NatWest does not approve applications from applicants who have experienced insolvency in the past 6 years, including Bankruptcy or sequestration, an involuntary arrangement or protected trust deeds, a debt relief order or a minimal asset process.

NatWest mortgage customer reviews

According to customer review site Trustpilot, NatWest scores 1.4 out of 5.0 based on over 7,900 reviews. 86% of respondents rated the company as "bad", with most negative reviews relating to poor customer service. However, these reviews are based on all elements of NatWest banking services rather than specifically being an indicator of whether NatWest is good for mortgages. According to Which?'s review of mortgage providers, NatWest ranks 14th out of 21 lenders based on factors including customer service, value for money and communication. Which? awarded Natwest Mortgages 3 out of 5 stars in most categories of their customer satisfaction scores but 5 stars for 'interest rates' and 4 stars for 'online access'.

 

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