Chewing the fat, shooting the breeze, having a natter - call it what you like, talking to people is darn important and everyone should do it as often as they can (except in libraries). We talk to our members as much as possible, through our blog and discussion board and by getting people to email contactus@zopa.com if anything's on their mind.

Having an expensive water feature in your glass-fronted, white marble lobby may make you feel good in the morning, but chances are it doesn't help the people who actually use your company. That's why the Zopa head office is pretty low-key, and the closest thing we have to a water feature is a tap.

Dec 19 2007

Joint mortgages with strangers ’should be avoided’

Entering a joint mortgage with somebody you do not know should be avoided, according to Bestinvest.

The independent financial adviser says a joint mortgage will provide people with bigger borrowing power than two applications by separate people.

However it still says the agreements can be risky.

Peter O'Donovan, mortgage manager at Bestinvest, said: "If you don't know the person you are buying with you could find yourself in all sorts of problems. Even if someone has a good credit record and seems on the outset fine, once you get in the house, they could be different."

He added that if you do not know somebody's credit record and you enter into an agreement it is "even worse because you are jointly and solely liable for that mortgage".

Research by Scottish Widow earlier this year showed that joint mortgages are becoming more popular among graduates, who find them an easier way to get onto the property ladder.

© Adfero Ltd

This entry is filed under Mortgage lending.

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