1st Stop Secured Loans Review
Discover whether 1st Stop’s loan rates are right for you. 100’s of secured 2nd charge finance products & high acceptance rates!
- Special “broker-only lenders” not featured on the comparison sites with great terms
- Intelligent lending technology & no upfront fees
- Great for clearing other loans/credit cards/existing car credit
- New lenders for 2026 and beyond
- High loan-to-value (LTV) with some lenders
- Homeowners could borrow from £10k – £950k
- Keep your existing mortgage with no worries
- We only soft footprint credit search that won’t affect your credit rating
- Sympathetic To Past Credit Problems: 1st UK Have Lenders That Accept Nearly All Forms Of Credit.Prime, Light, & Heavy Adverse All Considered.
Pre-decision in principle application form
A practical look at 1st Stop Home Loans
1st Stop Home Loans, later known as Oplo, has been used by homeowners who need a second-charge loan and may not meet the strict criteria of high-street banks. For readers comparing this route, the dedicated 1st Stop secured loans page offers a more focused view of the lender and its position in the second-charge market.
The group was established in 2004 and became known for secured lending where speed, equity and affordability mattered more than a perfect credit file. It is often considered when a homeowner wants to raise money for renovation work, clear expensive borrowing through debt consolidation, or look at wider uses for a secured loan.
The firm is Lancashire based and pride itself on a fast turnaround time of second charge mortgage applications. Perfect for those struggling to access finance and have workers waiting to get started on a new project on your home.
Reviews can be useful, but they should not be the only basis for a decision. A Trustpilot review may tell you how a customer felt about the service, but it will not tell you whether the rate, fee, term and loan-to-value are right for your own circumstances.
Loan size, term and credit profile
Historically, 1st Stop Home Loans offered secured loans from £5,000 to £50,000, with repayment terms from two to twenty years. Rates were variable, and the lender required a full property valuation. The maximum LTV was higher than at many lenders, but the property still needed to meet valuation and mortgage criteria.
Applicants generally needed to be aged between 21 and 70 at application. The products were aimed at residential homeowners rather than buy-to-let borrowers, and homes normally needed an existing first-charge mortgage. A clean credit file was not always required, but affordability, income and recent payment conduct still mattered.
Debt Management Plans may be considered if properly maintained. Individual Voluntary Arrangements can also be considered where they have been satisfied. If your credit file includes recent missed payments, defaults or other adverse entries, it is still worth comparing secured loans for bad credit before assuming only one lender will consider your case.
Bad credit does not mean a lender will ignore affordability. It usually means the lender will look more closely at the story behind the credit file, the age of any defaults, whether arrears are now under control, and whether the new payment is likely to make the household budget easier rather than worse.
For people who have been refused by a bank, the broader market for homeowner loans with bad credit can be more useful than repeated direct applications. Too many unsuitable applications can leave marks on a credit file, while a broker-led search can often identify which lenders are likely to consider the case before a full submission is made.
The risk is simple but important: the loan is secured against your home. If payments are missed and the position is not brought back under control, the lender has stronger recovery options than an unsecured lender. That is why the monthly payment, the total amount payable, and the reason for borrowing all need to be looked at together.
Eligibility and paperwork
For a single application, the minimum income requirement was a net monthly income of £1,200. For a joint secured loan application, the figure was £1,500. Some benefits could be considered, but pension income was not normally accepted for borrowing into retirement.
Applicants usually need a full year of employment history. Self-employed people and contractors could be considered if they could provide verified accounts. Current and previous addresses, evidence of income, and a clear picture of income and expenses would usually be needed before a lender could make a reliable decision.
Self-employed applicants may also need formal evidence of income; the old Council of Mortgage Lenders guide to income verification for the self-employed remains a useful reference point for understanding why lenders ask for accounts, tax calculations and bank statements.
Fees, early repayment and overall cost
The lender fee was variable, with examples ranging from £795 to £1,295. If the loan was repaid early, the maximum penalty was usually equal to two months’ interest. Those figures matter because a low monthly payment is not always the same thing as a cheap loan.
One representative example quoted a £20,000 loan over 120 months at 17.4% fixed, with a monthly repayment of £405.62, an acceptance fee of £995 and a broker fee of £2,000. In that example, the total amount payable was £48,674.40. Source: 1st Stop Home Loans.
This is why it is worth comparing the total cost, not just the headline rate. Some people will also look at a secured loan or remortgage comparison before adding a second charge to the home.
When 1st Stop may be worth comparing
A 1st Stop-style loan may suit a homeowner who needs a relatively quick decision, has enough equity, and wants a single monthly repayment for debts or a home project. It may be less suitable where the borrowing is not essential, the existing mortgage is already stretched, or the household budget cannot cope with a secured payment if income drops.
1st Stop Home Loans are suitable for almost all purposes. The only exclusions are using the funds for investment or business purposes as these loans are only for residential purposes.
For larger borrowing, readers often compare a £25,000 secured loan, a ten-year secured loan, or current second mortgage rates. Where payment certainty matters, a fixed-rate secured loan may feel easier to budget for, while a secured loan with no phone calls can suit people who prefer an online process.
Other lenders cover different corners of the market. Norton Finance, United Trust Bank, Masthaven Bank, Together Money, Pepper Money, Optimum Credit, Paragon Bank, Precise and Spring Finance all have different attitudes to income, arrears, property type and loan-to-value.
Older names such as Blemain Finance still come up when people compare historic secured-loan lenders. For home improvements, borrowers may also consider mainstream options such as Nationwide home improvement loans, NatWest home improvement loans, Santander home improvement loans or TSB secured loans, although big-name lenders can be less flexible where the credit file is damaged.
The lenders above can sometimes offer some of the best secured loan rates, but the best rate on paper is not always the one a borrower can actually get. Loan-to-value, recent arrears, income type, the property valuation and the reason for borrowing all affect the answer.
Is 1st Stop the right route?
1st Stop may be worth considering if you have enough equity, can demonstrate affordability, and need a lender prepared to look beyond a tidy credit score. It should still be compared with other lenders, because a slightly slower application with a lower total cost may be a better result than the first available approval.
Before applying, check the repayment term, fees, early repayment position and total amount payable. A secured loan is tied to your home, so the question is not only whether a lender will say yes, but whether the payment still looks sensible after the excitement of getting approved has passed.
