Seven steps, start to finish, including the parts that are slow and the parts we chase for you. Timings are typical rather than promised - every file moves at its own pace.
A call, a form, or a booked time, whichever you prefer. We ask what you are trying to do and roughly where you are financially. You do not need documents ready, and nothing touches your credit file.
15 minutes · Nothing on your credit fileWe establish what you can borrow, the deposit required, the upfront costs, and which schemes or structures apply. You receive this in writing, so you can consider it in your own time.
1–2 daysMore than 75 lenders, including the big four, the challengers and the non-banks. We assess policy fit as closely as rate, because the sharpest rate is of no use from a lender who will decline you. You receive a short list with the figures and our reasoning.
Within a few daysYou decide. We prepare the application in full, including documents and income evidence, because a well-prepared file is assessed faster and queried less. This is the point at which a credit enquiry is recorded, with your agreement.
About a week to prepareCredit assessment and a property valuation. This is the slowest and least visible stage, so we keep you updated throughout. Any questions from the lender come to us rather than to you.
Set by the lenderApproval in writing, then loan documents to sign, usually digitally. We will go through anything in them you would like explained.
Once approval is issuedYour solicitor and the lender settle. For a purchase you collect the keys; for a refinance the existing loan closes and the new one begins. We then review your rate every year for as long as you hold the loan.
Then ongoing, at no costTypically photo ID, recent payslips, three to six months of bank statements, and details of any existing debts. Self-employed applicants usually need two years of tax returns and financials. We provide a specific list at the outset rather than requesting items piecemeal.
One, in almost every case. We apply only once you are matched to a lender whose policy fits. Multiple enquiries in a short period are what damage a credit file.
Please do. Some of the most useful conversations we have are with people six or twelve months away from buying, who want to know what to address first, such as a credit card limit or a small debt. There is no charge and no obligation.
We will tell you why, in plain terms, and what would need to change. Sometimes that means a different lender, sometimes a few months of preparation first. Either way you receive a clear answer.
One conversation is usually enough to know your options. No cost, and no obligation.