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Santander Mortgages

Written by Simon Baker BSc (Hons)  |  Reviewed by The Complete Mortgage Shop, FCA regulated (FRN 728880)  |  Last updated July 2025

Santander UK is one of the largest mortgage lenders in Britain, consistently ranking in the top five by gross lending. The bank entered the UK market in 2004 when Spanish banking group Banco Santander acquired Abbey National — the former building society and one of the original mass-market mortgage lenders. Santander then acquired Alliance & Leicester in 2008 and took on Bradford & Bingley’s savings book and branch network the same year, merging all three brands under the Santander name by 2010.

Santander mortgage products

Santander offers a broad range of residential mortgage products for purchase and remortgage:

• Fixed-rate mortgages — available over 2, 3 and 5-year terms
• Tracker mortgages — linked to the Bank of England base rate
• Buy-to-let mortgages — for landlords purchasing or refinancing investment properties
• First-time buyer products — including support for government-backed schemes
• Offset mortgages — savings linked to the mortgage reduce the interest charged

Should you go direct to Santander or use a broker?

Santander can be competitive, particularly on fixed-rate remortgages for borrowers with a large deposit or significant equity. However, their pricing and lending criteria are not always the strongest available. Santander also does not offer their full product range direct to customers — some products are only accessible through mortgage intermediaries.

An independent whole-of-market broker can compare Santander against all other lenders, including those with no direct channel, to find the most suitable and cost-effective deal for your circumstances. There is no obligation and no upfront fee to receive advice.

Speak to an independent mortgage professional