A second mortgage amount borrowed (or a loan) on a property that already has a mortgage attached to it.

In other words a second mortgage is an additional loan on a property. Second mortgages usually carry a higher interest charge as the first mortgage carries first priority in the case of default.

The second mortgage also carries rights to the property, but these are subordinate to those of the first mortgage. In the case of approving a client for a second mortgage, the lender will calculate the affordability and risk of the first mortgage before calculating whether you would be able to meet any additional repayments.