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Lending term

LTV

Loan-to-Value ratio

Definition

The loan amount expressed as a percentage of the property's value, used by lenders to band applications by risk and to set pricing.

In more detail

Lenders publish pricing in LTV bands rather than on a continuous curve, so a small change in deposit or valuation can move an application into a cheaper or more expensive tier.

LTV also governs whether additional protections apply, such as lender-required mortgage insurance in some markets above a threshold.

Example

A 270,000 loan on a 300,000 property is 90% LTV. Adding 15,000 to the deposit moves it to 85%, which is typically a separately priced band.

Glossary entries are general explanations, not advice. Where a term appears in a contract or policy, the definition in that document governs.