How you can afford some Extra Space

• The featured image is a Linea 5m x 3m Multi by Garden Affairs

A garden room, extension or conversion is an excellent addition to any home. It's a space that you can use for pretty much anything from an office to a guest bedroom or just somewhere for the kids to play. If you fancy more space but are wondering how to finance it, then read on; we will explore some of the options below.

Savings

If you have savings available, then you can choose to purchase your new space outright. This option means that you won't owe any interest on your purchase. Of course, not everyone has savings, so the below options will explore alternative options. You can also use your savings to finance a garden room in conjunction with another form of financing. This will mean that you don't need to be paying interest on the entire cost of the garden room, only what remains after you have factored in how much money is owed by way of loans or mortgages.

Finance

Financing your extra space is the obvious alternative to spending any savings to afford it. It allows you to spread your costs over a longer period and hopefully not incur too much interest depending on the offer you receive, which will be subject to passing the credit checks. Many of our partners provide their own finance option to help out the customer (or work with a finance provider), and can provide loans to cover the cost of the purchase. However for the ones that don't, we've partnered with iDeal 4 Finance to help you out.

When browsing the Rooms2U listings you will notice their logo, which links directly to their website. Clicking on this transports you to an application process where you can fill out a form to receive a quote. Acceptance is subject to status, APR will vary depending on individual circumstances. Check out our tips below for getting credit.

Personal Loan

A personal loan is another way to obtain the financing needed to purchase the extra space. Personal loans can either be unsecured or secured against assets such as your home. Secured loans are a lower risk for the provider and usually have a lower APR; they are secured against assets such as your home. This means if you fail to keep up the repayments, you may lose the assets so consider this carefully first. An unsecured loan is a popular choice because it isn't secured against your home or assets. You can shop around online with comparison sites to find the best rates of interest for you. This will depend on your credit score. People with a higher credit score will secure better APR rates than those with lower scores. This is because they are a lower risk to the lender.

Equity Release

Another option is equity release. This is where a homeowner takes out one or more mortgages against their property and converts the value of this into an income. The money can be used in many ways, such as funding for renovations, retirement, holidays or even help with their children's education fees. Equity release is usually available to those over the age of 55. The money you release is yours to spend on what you want. This is repaid to the financiers when you die or sell your property. One of the major benefits is that this form of finance doesn't need to be paid back until death or sale, so that helps with peace of mind in retirement.

Tips for getting your credit application accepted

Any form of finance will need to be approved by a lender. This means you will be credit checked using data from your credit report. Below we have listed some ways to help you improve your chances of being accepted.

• Check your credit report yourself first. This is now free to do online. Make sure you check the three main companies Equifax, Experian and Trans Union, as scores may differ.

• The report will show you any errors, so they can be fixed before your application is made.

• Ensure your payments are up to date.

• Hard credit checks show up on a credit report, so if you know you'll be applying for a loan, try not to apply for other forms of credit for a while first.

• If you have had problems with debt in the past or bankruptcy, try and find specialist providers. Your APR will likely be higher.

As you can see, there are many ways to pay for the purchase of a garden room, extension or conversion. Before committing it is always advisable to conduct your own research into finance available to you, the interest costs, the total repayable amount and to ensure the payments are affordable. Financing the project is the same as financing any other large purchase such as a car. Weigh up all of your options and make the right choice for you.