Be Prepared

The first meeting you have with us is to discuss what you are looking to do – whether it is a new purchase/re-mortgage/capital raise/BTL/lifetime mortgage or commercial finance. We will assess your current income and financial situation to source the most suitable lender and mortgage to meet your needs and circumstances.

To help us do this and progress your application as smoothly as possible, please email pdfs of the following information/documentation and bring the originals to the meeting:


01

Proof of identity for each applicant (eg passport/card driving licence*)


02

Proof of address for each applicant (eg a printed bank statement or utility bill less than 3 months old or card driving licence* or your latest council tax bill)


03

Proof of income (Last P60 and last 3 month’s payslips if employed or last 2 years accounts, SA302 and tax year overview if self-employed)


04

Last three full months bank statements for the account(s) that your income(s) is paid into and household expenses are paid from


05

Details of any financial commitments (car loan, credit card, buy to let mortgages, HP etc)  Provide monthly payment and balance/term remaining.


06

Proof of deposit funds – last three months statements for the accounts holding your mortgage deposit fund.


07

Your up-to-date credit report. The credit reference agencies used by most lenders are included in CheckmyFile. They offer a 30-day free trial which is then £14.99 a month thereafter. This can be cancelled at any time.  Please send us a pdf of your full report.

*You cannot use the driving licence as both proof of ID and Proof of Address

Certified Proof of Identity & Address

To help you with your mortgage and/or insurance, we will need proof of your identity (ID) and proof of your current residential address.
The proof of ID needs to be photographic – a current passport is ideal.

The proof of address should be printed (copies from the internet are not acceptable), have your name and address on it, be from a utility company or bank and be dated within the last 3 months.

If you aren’t coming in for a face to face appointment then your proof of ID and proof of address will need to be certified as below before uploading it to your client portal. Certification can be by any of the following people based in the UK; Authorised financial intermediary, Embassy, Consulate or High Commission, Lawyer, Banker, Accountant, Teacher, Doctor, Minister of religion or Post Master or Sub-Post Master.

Only black and white copies of passports are permitted – colour copies infringe copyright.
The certifier must write on the copy of the ID/address – “I certify that I have seen the original document and this is a true copy”, and be signed, dated and state their profession (eg solicitor). The statement for photographic evidence must also state it ‘bears a good likeness to the applicant’.
We must be able to contact the person certifying the evidence therefore a contact name and number will be required.

For international cases, it is preferable that the ID and proof of address are certified in the UK. It is possible to proceed without this but it will dictate a different process that may not be as straightforward.

Capture Scans Using An IPhone

Every iPhone comes with an app called Notes. This is a really useful tool that enables you to take quick and easy high quality scans that we can use.
Steps
1. Open Notes on your iPhone.
2. Then open a new Note (click the icon at bottom right) which opens the keyboard.
3. At the top of the keyboard is a line of icons. One of them is a camera. Click on it.
4. You have three options. The bottom one is “Scan Documents”. Clicking on that opens the camera.
5. There should be an Auto in the top right. If it says Manual then click on it to toggle to Auto.
6. Position the document you want to scan (flat and level and well lit) and hold the iPhone above it. The phone will focus on the document and take a scan when it is in focus.
7. Click on Save to keep it. The saved scan is saved with that Note.
8. To share the scan, press on it till it clicks and gives you options to Copy, Share, Rename, Delete. Select Share then chose how you want to share it eg email, Messages, WhatsApp and send it.

Mortgage FAQs

Every lender will be different in their approach to what you can borrow and unfortunately there is no set calculation. The actual amount you’re eligible to borrow will be determined by the cost of the property you wish to purchase, the size of deposit you have, your income and affordability (taking into account your monthly financial commitments and any future commitments).

One of the most difficult aspects of organising a mortgage is sorting through the thousands of mortgage deals currently available. Different mortgages will often cater for different needs. It is important to take into account your current circumstances as well as your priorities and long term plans to establish what is suitable for you. We recommend speaking to our mortgage adviser as soon as possible as they will be able to guide you.

Typically the list of fees could include:

  • Valuation fee – charged by the lender to value the property and generally paid up front with your application
  • Solicitors fees – charged by the solicitor to complete the conveyancing transactions on the property. Part of this is paid up front when the solicitors are instruction but the remainder is paid upon completion.
  • Stamp duty land tax – a tax levied by the government on any property purchase in England or Northern Ireland above £500,000 (This stamp duty holiday lasts until 31st March 2021).
  • Lender arrangement fees – charged by the lender for arranging the loan. This can be added to the loan in most circumstances but will therefore increase the size of the loan.
  • Booking fee – charged by the lender for booking the funds for your mortgage and typically charged up front with your application
  • Broker fees – may be charged if you are using a broker and payable either up front or on completion

Yes, our advice is always independent and impartial, this means you recommendation will be the best mortgage to meet your needs. Our advisors are CeMap qualified, FCA regulated and offer professional advice.

Getting the right mortgage or remortgage deal can save you £100s each month. Using a good independent broker will make sure that you have the best deal available for your circumstances.

A broker gets paid by the lender but the work involved in a mortgage has become a lot more time consuming and difficult so most brokers also charge a fee.
Typical broker fees in the UK are around £7-800. Our typical fee is £495 as most customers are repeat or have been introduced so you are getting great value.
Brokers that offer “free” advice are not usually independent so cannot make sure you get the best deal. Others have hidden costs that you are unaware of, for example by charging more for insurance.
Our brokers are experienced and all costs are transparent.

A Bank or Lender loans money with interest. In return their loan is secured against the value of a person’s property. The details of the loan agreement are registered against the Title of that property- this is known as a mortgage.

Yes, you can. The sooner you apply for a mortgage the sooner you know how much you can afford. Then, once you’ve found your new property, we can provide you with a formal letter of offer, subject to eligibility criteria and terms and conditions.

Yes. You’ll need to provide evidence of the gift and that the gift will not need to be repaid, for example a statement of savings/deposit accounts and a letter from the person providing the gift that it does not need to be repaid.

We have a comprehensive range of products from across the market; this includes products to help people that may have had issues with credit in the past.

Lenders and insurers have to pay to be on a comparison site. Most will not do this so you are only looking at a small proportion of the market. Our brokers consider and compare all deals for you.
Also, products on comparison sites tend to be stripped back versions of what you need. As they compete on cost only, they do not provide good value. What is the point of paying a cheap policy for years and then find out you are not covered when you try to make a claim?!? We focus on what you need now and in the future and then recommend the best way forward.