How mortgage advice works
From your first call to the day your mortgage completes, here's what happens, what we'll do and what we'll need from you. All our appointments are by phone.
Or call 02922 820 840 · Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm
A free 20-minute phone call. No obligation, no credit check.
Step by step
A free initial call
A free 20-minute phone call about your circumstances and what you're looking to achieve. There's no credit check and no obligation to go any further.
Fact-find
If you'd like to go ahead, we gather the details a recommendation depends on: your income and outgoings, credit history, deposit, the property and your plans. We'll ask for documents to check them.
Research and recommendation
We research mortgages from across the whole of the market, looking for those whose criteria fit your situation. We explain what we recommend and why, and you get the lender's illustration setting out the costs. Where it helps, we can get you a Decision in Principle first: a lender's early indication of what it might lend, usually based on a soft credit search.
Application
When you decide to go ahead, we submit the application, deal with the lender's questions and keep you updated. The lender runs its own checks, including a full credit search, and arranges a valuation of the property.
Mortgage offer
Once the lender is satisfied with your application and the valuation, it issues a mortgage offer. We'll go through it with you. If a lender says no, we'll explain what we know about why, and talk through whether another lender's criteria might fit.
Completion
Your solicitor or conveyancer takes things from offer to completion: for a purchase, the day you get the keys; for a remortgage, the day the new deal starts. We stay in touch until then.
When your deal is coming to an end, we can look at your options again with you.
How long it can take
- Application to mortgage offer
- Often 2–4 weeks
- Remortgage, from application to the new deal starting
- Often 4–8 weeks
- Buying: from your offer on a home being accepted to completion
- Often 12–16 weeks, longer with a chain
These are typical ranges, not promises, and they can vary. The lender, the valuation, the solicitors and any property chain all affect the timing. We'll tell you if anything is holding things up.
Documents you'll need
Nothing is needed for the first call. Once you go ahead, lenders usually ask for:
- Photo ID (passport or driving licence)
- Last 3 months' payslips — or, if self-employed, your last 2 years' SA302s and tax-year overviews
- Last 3 months' bank statements
- Evidence of your deposit (a statement, or a gift letter if it's from family)
- Your address history for the last 3 years
- A rough list of monthly credit commitments (loans, car finance, cards)
We'll tell you exactly what your lender wants; it varies from lender to lender.
What it costs
There may be a fee for arranging a mortgage and the precise amount will depend on your circumstances, this could be up to £499 but a typical fee would be £199.
We also receive a commission from the lender. It's shown in your illustration.
Protection is part of the conversation
As part of mortgage advice, we'll ask how you'd keep up the mortgage and bills if illness, injury or death stopped an income, and whether protection might help. It's your choice whether to look at it.
We don't charge you a fee for protection advice. If you take out a policy through us, we're paid commission by the insurer.
Ready to talk it through?
You can speak to Phillip before you have found a property.
Or call 02922 820 840 · Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm
A free 20-minute phone call. No obligation, no credit check.