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A mortgage in principle, also known as an agreement in principle (AIP), is a document given to you by your mortgage lender to show that you have passed their credit score to qualify for a mortgage. You may have also heard the term “decision in principle”, this is also the same thing.
Getting an agreement in principle can often help you negotiate the asking price with your seller. This is because the seller can see that you have the funds in place, have been preapproved by a mortgage lender and can continue immediately. Having an AIP and not having an AIP could be the difference between your offer getting accepted on a property and being rejected.
We find that our customers, particularly first time buyers in Leeds, are worried about their credit score having an impact on their ability to get a mortgage. Things such as credit searches may impact your credit score, and you will have to undergo one to obtain an agreement in principle.
However, you have to remember that a credit check will only have a negative impact on your credit score if something bad is found on your file. The severity depends on what the mortgage lender has found, for example, if you forgot to update your address for an old account, it won’t have too much of an impact on your credit score. On the other hand, if they find that you have large withstanding balances on your credit cards, you may see more of an impact.
As a mortgage broker in Leeds, when we arrange an agreement in principle on your behalf, we do not carry out any credit checks on you. We will, however, ask for your permission for the mortgage lender to carry one of these out on your credit file.
Credit searches come in two different forms; a soft credit search and a hard credit search.
Soft credit searches are not very in-depth and will only really look at your main information, such as employment, income, age etc. This is the type of search that price comparison sites use to verify that you are who you say that you are. More and more lenders are opting for this type of search nowadays when arranging an agreement in principle because they will likely perform a hard credit search on you further down the line.
Soft credit searches are hidden from your file, with only you being able to see that they have taken place. That means you can be unsuccessful in one instance and not worry too much about how it looks to others.
A hard credit search provides the mortgage lender with a much more in-depth look at your credit file. Any company that wants to perform a hard credit search on you must get your permission first before doing so. This is because they could have an impact on your credit score.
During a hard credit check, the mortgage lender will take a complete look at your financial circumstances. If you pass this check, you have much more chance of seeing mortgage success.
The downside to hard credit checks is that they will likely leave a credit footprint on your file. If someone looks at your file in the future, it will show that there has been a hard credit carried out. The outcome of the search will not show in your file, meaning that other financial institutions looking at this may be worried, especially if there are lots of them.
Mortgage lenders do not like seeing lots of different credit checks on your file, because it could suggest that you have been applying for lots of credit all at once. This is something that can put off a mortgage lender.
This isn’t to say that having a few will be drastically negative, you won’t need to worry a lot about this, it’s just always best to make sure you are cautious with it.
An AIP or mortgage in principle does not guarantee you a mortgage. Remember that you are being agreed in principle of being able to support your affordability. Mortgage lenders will require you to provide evidential documents such as your P60, bank statements, etc., to prove that you can afford the mortgage after you have an accepted offer.
If you are self employed in Leeds, the documents that you need to provide will be slightly different. It is always worth speaking with a mortgage advisor in Leeds to discuss your affordability for a self employed mortgage.
Yes, you can make an offer on a property in Leeds without an agreement in principle, however, we wouldn’t recommend it. The estate agent and the seller will want to make sure that the person making an offer on the property is serious about their purchase and has the ability to advance through to the sale of the property. If you do not have a mortgage in principle, you are not able to go straight to the next stage of the process, you haven’t even been agreed in principle as of yet.
As a mortgage broker in Leeds, we are able to arrange an agreement in principle for you within 24 hours of your free mortgage appointment.
Your agreement in principle will roughly last between 30 and 90 days. Once your AIP expires, it is a simple process to get it renewed.
All that you need to do is get back in touch with our mortgage advisors in Leeds, and we will arrange a new one with you straight away.
We always recommend getting an agreement in principle as early on in the process as possible. Even if you are thinking of moving house in Leeds, before you take up property viewings, make sure that you have your agreement in principle at the ready!
The earlier the better; having an AIP and not having an AIP could be the difference between your offer being accepted on a property and being declined.
If you’re a first time buyer in Leeds who has managed to save up for a 5% deposit and are ready to start making offers on properties. However, you are still being let down and being asked for a larger deposit. Not being enough to save for a lerger deposit could be down to anything, e.g., sellers’ preference, other competition or your credit history.
From in-depth discussions about utilising the government schemes to simple points such as saving more money and waiting, here are some ways that can help you obtain a mortgage with a small deposit.
Taking advantage of government schemes can really help you through your mortgage journey. There are lots of schemes available that come under the ‘Own Your Home’ umbrella. These schemes were designed to allow opportunities for first time buyers and home movers to get themselves onto the property ladder.
The Shared Ownership scheme is very different. Shared Ownership lets you take a mortgage out on a percentage share of a property (usually between 25%-75%) and then pay the rest back via rent.
Since you are only taking out a mortgage on a smaller percentage of the property, your total deposit amount should be lower. Also, it’s worth knowing that you can increase the share of the property that you own further down the line if you want to. This can be a great stepping stone to get you onto the property ladder.
The scheme is a little complex in some cases. So, we’d recommend that you speak to a mortgage advisor in Leeds like us before diving headfirst into the scheme.
A Lifetime independent savings account should be introduced when you’re thinking of moving or buying your first home in Leeds.
This is because it’s a savings account where your money grows year on year interest-free. You can put as much money in it as you’d like each month, as long as it doesn’t exceed a total of more than £4,000 over the year. This is the maximum that you can save each year.
Each year, the government will top up what you’ve saved by 25%. So, if you save up to the maximum you will get an extra £1,000 for free. The savings from the account can be used for one of two things: buying your first home or saving for later in life.
If you set up a Lifetime ISA at the very start of saving for a deposit, you may only require a small deposit as the lifetime ISA can cover some of it for you!
If you’re currently living in a council house and planning to make an offer on the property, you may only be required to put down a small deposit, or in some cases not one at all.
This is because some lenders offer a right to buy in Leeds discount through the government since you’ve already been living in the property.
This government-led scheme allows you to get a mortgage with just a 5% deposit. Therefore, if you go down this route, there shouldn’t be many reasons why you’ll be declined.
Of course, getting a mortgage is not guaranteed in any way shape or form. You’ll still be required to pass credit checks, affordability assessments etc.
There are other ways besides using government schemes to get a mortgage with a smaller deposit.
An agreement in principle (AIP) or also known as a decision in principle (DIP), can boost your chances of getting a mortgage with a smaller deposit.
An AIP shows that a lender is willing to lend to you given that you can provide sufficient documentation to prove that you’ll be able to afford a mortgage. If you’re making an offer on a property, you may be putting yourself in front of someone who’s also put in an offer who doesn’t have an AIP in place.
In this situation, it’s not really about the deposit. The indication to the seller will be that they’ll be able to continue through the process quicker by choosing you. Either way, they’re selling their home, choosing you will just speed up their process!
An obvious alternative would be to carry on saving up. Even pushing back your home buying journey for a further 6 months could boost up the total amount of your mortgage deposit.
Your small deposit could become much bigger if you knuckle down and save for just a little longer, in fact, it could get you over the edge that you need.
If there aren’t that many houses on the market that are appealing to you, there’s even more of a reason to wait for a little longer.
Remember that the 5%-mark changes depending on the property. If you want to move into a larger home, you may need to save up more anyway.
During the mortgage process, you will come across a “mortgage illustration”, but what is it? Although it can sound complicated, a mortgage illustration is simply a document that outlines every detail of your mortgage product.
As a mortgage broker in Leeds, we will be the ones who provide you with a mortgage illustration. The process works like so:
Your mortgage advisor in Leeds will run through all of this with you, so especially first time buyers in Leeds, don’t panic!
For a quick, simple explanation of “what is a mortgage illustration”, watch the video below. For more videos just like this, head to MoneymanTV on YouTube!
Your mortgage illustration highlights the main details of the product, the costs of taking out the product, your monthly repayments, legal fees and sometimes valuation fees.
Main details: The main details of your product include who you are taking out the product with, the length of your fixed term and the interest rate.
Costs of taking out a product: With most types of mortgages, you will be charged a fee for taking out the product, however, depending on the product, you may not be charged a fee. This will be outlined in your mortgage illustration.
Monthly repayments: Your monthly repayments are how much you will have to pay each month for your mortgage. These will be calculated by the total mortgage amount, interest rate and fixed-term.
Legal fees: Legal fees include the services of a solicitor. Your mortgage broker in Leeds will talk you through this and the other costs involved before handing you over to the solicitors.
Valuation fees: You will see details of property surveys and valuations fees inside of your mortgage illustration. These costs can change depending on the type of survey you choose to take out.
No, you do not. At this stage of the process, you have only been recommended a product, therefore, you are under no obligation to continue with it. In some rare cases, you may even want your mortgage advisor in Leeds to find you another deal.
If you choose to part with us and the deal, you will have to search elsewhere for another product.
Though we would like to, we would never guarantee someone a mortgage. A mortgage illustration is only an outline of your mortgage recommendation, therefore, you have not submitted your application yet and have not been approved by the lender.
Prior to receiving your mortgage illustration, you will have received an agreement in principle to show that a lender is willing to lend to you. This is not the same as a mortgage illustration.
This is also not a guarantee, they are agreeing in principle that you can provide sufficient evidence of your income and affordability. After your illustration, we will prepare your mortgage application with you if you want to continue.
As a mortgage broker in Leeds, it is our job to help you through the whole mortgage process. We will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about the mortgage process.
Your free mortgage appointment includes a mortgage illustration. Book your free mortgage appointment online and we can get your process started today.
So, you have had your offer accepted on a property but, is the house actually worth what you said you would pay for it?
If you are wanting to know what the actual value is and the property’s overall condition, a property survey can help with this.
This survey will mention any significant repairs or alterations needed, like repairing the roof.
There are a plethora of survey options available, however, the most common types include mortgage valuations, homebuyer’s report and a full structural survey. You might find the survey is free of charge, however, this depends on the lender. For more information on the different types of surveys, check out the content below.
The surveys differ depending on the outcomes on the report. For example, you may receive a report that is more detailed and thorough, whereas you might get one that only mentions certain aspects. The more in-depth a survey is, the more it will cost.
Navigating your way through the process can be daunting and you might want to choose the cheaper option. As much as this will save you money at the time, it may not be worth it in the future and become far more expensive.
In the event that you find something on your survey about your property that you weren’t notified about, by law, you can approach the seller and negotiate a fairer price.
The most basic property survey is Mortgage Valuations. You usually have this carried out on when you are working out how much a property is worth. This is helpful to the lender as they need to be sure that the property price matches the amount you are set to borrow from them.
For instance, if you put an offer above the property’s actual value, the seller will likely accept your offer but, your lender won’t. Unless you have the funds to make up the difference, the lender will pull out of the deal which is known as down valuation.
The one drawback with this survey is that it doesn’t highlight any apparent repairs and damages. On the other hand, it can let you know of any obvious structural defects that will require a further look at. If you are looking for a more in-depth property investigation, you will need to pay extra to upgrade your survey. This could be worth it in the long run.
A Homebuyers Report looks at safety. It checks out how safe the property is and if it is suitable to live in. Surveyors will want to know of any mould problems, damp issues or something that does not pass the current building laws.
The report will be carried out by a property expert. They will examine the property from to bottom to see if it’s safe for you to move into.
You might have made an offer on an older building. As a Mortgage Broker in Leeds, we would strongly advise that you undergo a Full Structural Survey.
With the whole property being surveyed, this does make this survey type the most expensive one. This property survey will provide a lot more detail compared to the three primary surveys with showing what condition the property is in and the changes that will need to made if the property price goes through.
A Full Structural Survey can take as long as a whole day, depending on the property size.
It can take a surveyor as long as a whole day to carry out a Full Structural Survey, however, this does depend on the property size.
When it comes to new build properties, surveys work a bit differently. There is a property survey designed for new builds called a Snagging Survey. This will inform you of any minor and significant issues. The issues could range from a crack in the ceiling to a missing hinge on the door.
The new build might be built and ready for you to move into which, in this case, means you would want to look at getting a snagging survey carried out prior to moving in. By doing this, you are able to negotiate the price if there is anything wrong with the property.
If you are wondering which survey is the best one for you, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with our team. We have extensive experience helping many first time buyers in Leeds and people looking to move home in Leeds find the most appropriate property surveys.
You can receive the services of a surveyor to carry out a Homebuyers report or building survey through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Over the years as a Mortgage Broker in Leeds, we have found an increase in people paying a lot more attention to their credit rating. As a result of this, we have found that many people who get in touch with our team have already researched online to find a copy of their credit report.
There are many different credit reference agencies to choose from, but the two most popular companies you may know are Experian and Equifax.
Our team highly recommend that new customers who contact us look to use Check My File. By doing this, you’ll find a report that offers customers a collation of information from various sources (the aforementioned two included) in an easy understandable colour-coded report.
You sign up for a 30-day free trial with Check My File and after the 30 days, you will be charged £14.99 a month. This can be cancelled at any time before the end of those 30 days.
Try it FREE for 30 days, then £14.99 a month – cancel online anytime.
When dealing with customers, our Mortgage Advisors in Leeds are often asked if they will be doing a credit search on them. This is usually a customer who knows that too many searches can negatively impact their credit score.
Our mortgage advisors will always get permission for the customer to run a credit check, whereas the lender will run their own checks. There are two types of credit searches, one is hard searches and the other is soft searches. Below we will explain the difference between the two as well as how they can help.
A hard credit search is a type of credit check that provides an in-depth look at your credit report. All financial institutions that carry out one of these will need to seek your permission before undertaking this check.
One of the benefits of a ‘hard’ search would be how detailed it goes. Having this carried out and passing it can increase the chance of you being successful with a mortgage, however, this is not always guaranteed).
After passing this, the only thing that could go wrong with your mortgage process is if you cannot provide the required documentation to back up the information that you have presented to the lender, or it turns out you have provided incorrect information altogether.
Another advantage to having a hard credit search carried out will leave a ‘footprint’ on your credit file meaning that anyone looking at your report can see that this search has already been done on your file.
Having this mark on your file is not a bad thing at all, however, if your credit file shows that there have been multiple searches carried out in a short period of time. By having these displayed, it could give the impression to the mortgage lender that you are applying for lots of credit at the same time which wouldn’t work in your favour.
An important point you need to know about the ‘footprint’ is that it will not leave a note to confirm whether or not your application was successful. Therefore, having several searches highlighted on your report can result in the lenders’ systems assuming wrongly that you are being declined regularly. Think about it; why would you apply for credit with a second lender, unless you’d been declined by the first?
If you have the occasional hard footprint on your record it’s not going to be a massive issue which is why you don’t need to worry about it too much. It’s best to be careful not to have too many of these taken out.
The other type is a soft credit search. Opposite to a hard credit search, this would be a more straightforward approach by looking at your financial situation. These are normally done through price comparison websites, so you can find out what options may be on offer for you.
Another way it can be used is to verify your identity. Some mortgage lenders will carry out soft searches of their own. It can be common to find these days that even more lenders are changing to this type of credit search.
Even though the one drawback of a soft search is that you will get less information out of it in comparison to a hard search, if you managed to obtain an Agreement in Principle from a lender, this still can be a positive indicator that your application will be accepted.
The one factor that makes soft searches appealing to customers is that you are able to see soft searches that others have carried out on you (many are often surprised by how many have been carried out on them), but these searches will not be visible to other financial institutions like a bank or lender.
Because of this, you will be able to apply for an Agreement in Principle ahead of a mortgage in Leeds, without causing any damage to your credit score, whether you are successful or not.
In the case where you are a First Time Buyer in Leeds looking at making any offers on a property, our expert Mortgage Advisors in Leeds would highly recommend you get a mortgage Agreement in Principle before getting in touch with an estate agent.
It can be ideal to give yourself the best possible chance of securing your dream property at the lowest possible price. Therefore if you present yourselves as having your finances organised, it’s likely you will give yourself the upper hand in your mortgage situation.
Having an Agreement in Principle to hand can also help stop an estate agent from trying to cross-sell any of their own mortgage products to you.
Property chains can be a common hurdle for homebuyers going through the process. The moving home journey can be interrupted if you are in a property chain as some factors can stall the process.
Having said that, you may encounter a range of problems and hurdles when obtaining a mortgage. It could be that your application is stuck in the pipeline or there might be an issue with your offer not being accepted, it’s possible that you can encounter issues when going through the journey of moving home in Leeds.
A property chain involves a group of sellers that are connected so will be relying on each other for each purchase to go through. In the case where you are a first time buyer in Leeds, you will always be at the beginning of the chain, unlike a seller who would be placed at the end.
For example, a person is ready to move into a property they’re buying. From this, the buyer needs to wait for the seller to move out first. Then if that seller is in the same situation, they will also be waiting for them to move out to move in.
This all comes down to the seller’s situation which you will be unaware of.
Sometimes, you may not even know that you are in a property chain, and the full process could run smoothly. This is the ideal situation for everyone because it makes the moving home process go smoothly and straightforward.
On the flip side, if things don’t run as well, this can involve waiting. This is why our team recommend you start your process with at least six months of preparation. Within this time, you can look for that perfect home and provide some time if you get stuck in a property chain.
The full chain could suffer if you are linked with a property chain and one purchase does not go through. Therefore, if this chain breaks, you will either have to wait or look for another property.
In the case where the property chain breaks at your purchase, there can be a way to stop it from damaging the overall chain if you act fast.
An option for sellers could be to contact the people planning to buy your property by speaking to your estate agent. By doing this, you can inform them of the situation sooner rather than later.
It’s best to prepare for a break in the property chain regardless if you are on a seller’s level or your level.
You could buy a property that isn’t in a chain or a small chain, sell your property, rent temporarily, buy a new-build property etc.
There could be a number of reasons why a property chain can break. This could happen at your’s, your seller’s or even your buyer’s level:
Above is just a small number of examples, there are many more reasons. As mentioned, the length of the property chain you are in will depend on how these situations impact your ability to move home.
Avoiding a property chain can be difficult, especially if you are buying at a busy time of year or when the market is hot.
Furthermore, you could research and speak to your estate agent to get an idea of your position in the midst of the application stage. It is best that you organise your finances as early in the process as possible. Being prepared for things that could go wrong, the better.
In the case where you avoid a property chain (also known as ‘chain-free), the moving process will more likely be straightforward. This is obviously factoring in that you provide evidence that you can afford a mortgage and deposit the property.
Our moving home Mortgage Advisors in Leeds can help you through the process if you are looking to buy and sell your property.
If you are looking for help with the moving home process, book yourself in for a free mortgage appointment.
With the right help and guidance, your mortgage process should go smoothly. In some cases, it’s not always guaranteed to go so well. Speaking to customers some applicants had face various hurdles along there mortgage journey. As a Mortgage Broker in Leeds, below we listed some of the most frequent mortgage hurdles that we came across in the past.
You shouldn’t be declined a mortgage because of childcare costs. But depending on the amount, having child care costs can sometimes be a large outgoing and having these costs, may reduce the mortgage amount you can borrow.
Most lender class childcare costs as a loan or a credit commitment. Which means even if you didn’t have these costs, having children in general means you will have large outgoings going out each month.
Because of this, you are likely to borrow less than a mortgage applicant with the same income, that doesn’t have any kids of their own. There are some mortgage lenders out there who will take child care costs into account, which can increase this amount, though this isn’t always guaranteed.
Nobody ever buys a home with a partner, only to result in divorce or separation. It’s does happen, and leaves the family finances in need of a drastic reorganisation. Some of the most frequently asked questions we receive include:
All of the above can be done, though this will depend on a case by case basis. You will need to seek out expert mortgage advice and speak to a experienced Mortgage Advisor in Leeds. In some cases, if you rece any child maintenance, this can sometimes be used as assessable income for a future mortgage.
It all depends on the mortgage lender, some lenders will require you to have been in work continuously for a certain period of time, whereas there are others with different criteria.
You will also find that it is entirely possible to get a mortgage. If you are soon going to start a new career. A signed contract and written job offer communication will often be a good way of helping you achieve this.
There could potentially be some hurdles if you have had any gaps in employment, as some lenders will flag that up. In other cases any probationary periods should be okay.
Anti-Money Laundering precautions are very strict. All Lenders will require evidence of your deposit, and you will need to prove the origins of your savings. You may also be asked for this by an estate agent or solicitors, depending on who you go with.
Cash deposits are not ideal at all. Any red flags in your bank statement will be heavily questioned and it is entirely possible your mortgage application will be rejected.
You may be able to utilise a gifted deposit, with some of or all of the deposit being gifted by a family member or friend. That person needs to confirm in writing that it is not intended to be paid back as a loan, becasue as the name suggests it’s a gift.
If you’re facing hardships as a first time buyer in Leeds, stressed because of moving home in Leeds, book your free mortgage appointment to speak with one of our expert Mortgage Advisors in Leeds.
Even if we haven’t listed a situation your in, it’s possible we’ve helped another customer in a similar situation. Let our trusted expert Mortgage Advisor in Leeds help you with your mortgage application.
If you are wanting to know the maximum amount you can borrow for a mortgage, you can book yourself a free mortgage appointment to speak with one of our expert Mortgage Advisors in Leeds.
From our experience, the two most popular questions we find that first time buyers in Leeds in and home movers in Leeds ask us are; can I get a mortgage in my situation and if so how much can I borrow?
Here we will take a closer look at the latter of the two, which has changed a lot in the past decade, followed by what happens now during your mortgage process.
Looking back to the 90s, before credit scoring was a thing, people would manually underwrite all mortgage applications, which means that the process of approving mortgages got left to real people and not just computers.
You would book an appointment for an interview with your local building society to speak to the building society manager. From there, you would present and discuss your case.
Back then, you could probably guarantee that this would turn into a sales pitch, where they would assist you to start saving with them for a while until you can prove to them that you are creditworthy.
The manager would then grant you what a past equivalent of today’s Agreement in Principle was. Following this, the customer would then be given some advice on the amount they could borrow.
While sounding like a highly personalised process with a simple and common-sense approach, there were many wrong decisions. The manager had the discretion to interpret the lending manual in the way that they wanted to.
In other words, you could have gone to the same building society in a different location and left, having obtained an entirely different outcome than the previous branch you visited.
To prevent this and to cut any costs that weren’t necessary, lenders started using automated affordability, so when lending to customers, only provide them with a figure three or even four times their annual income.
Going forward to the early 2000s, lenders relaxed, even more, becoming arguably even too generous in how much they would be willing to lend their customers.
Some lenders would offer out self-certified mortgages, a process that meant no background checks would take place, and the customer could self-certify their income, even if the buyer falsely inflated the amount they were declaring.
The market fell apart, and these kinds of practices brought about the infamous Credit Crunch of 2008. The years that followed, between then and 2010, were incredibly challenging times.
This was especially the case if you were trying to get onto the property ladder for the first time. At this point, lenders had to change, and much stricter lending criteria had to be put in place.
Through lots of dedication and perseverance, the market recovered. In 2014 the regulator launched the Mortgage Market Review (MMR), a brand new and completely revised set of guidelines for lenders to follow to prevent the Credit Crunch from happening again.
No longer were the old-style income multipliers available, which took little account of household spending habits.
It may come as quite a surprise, but before 2014, whether their credit histories were good or bad, two applicants earning the same income could more or less be able to borrow the same as each other.
This was also not factoring in how much they were regularly spending. All-new affordability models came from that point, taking a much more forensic view of how exactly those applying for a mortgage handle their finances.
As well as this new cap, typically, most mortgage lenders will no longer go past 4.75 times your annual income, and they prefer to have an in-depth analysis of your spending habits.
Your habits may entirely depend on your situation, such as having high childcare costs, a potentially large amount of credit commitments, and in some cases, any student loans to pay off. In cases like these, a mortgage lender will most probably offer you less than, say, your work colleague who has far fewer outgoings.
Nowadays, there are significant differences between lenders in how much or little they will lend to some customers. From time to time, some lenders have been known to penalise low-earners.
It could just be that they are not looking for that type of applicant. Some take pension contributions as a fixed outgoing, so may lend, for example, a public sector worker with a significant pension deduction, less than a private-sector worker.
Each of these different lenders has its unique lending criteria, and each customer has its own situation. Suppose you need to maximise your borrowing capacity to have a chance at buying your dream home.
You will highly benefit from expert Mortgage Advice in Leeds. Our team will search the market on your behalf to try and match you to various lenders criteria.
If you want to know exactly how much you should borrow for a mortgage and are ready to go, please get in touch and book yourself in for a free mortgage appointment to speak with one of our Mortgage Advisors in Leeds today. We will talk to you and work out your finances with you to ensure you are comfortable with the maximum amount you can borrow and what your monthly payments will be.
It can be a very difficult time when you have to close the door to a relationship. Moving on, trying to arrange finances and finding where you’re going to live can be very stressful. Your financial commitments to one another must be attended to first. This may not go as smoothly as you would hope and you may encounter some bumps along the way.
Our job is to help you through the financial hardship that you and your ex-partner are facing, in particular, the mortgage side of things. We have a history of helping applicants in this situation and experience helping customers in other specialist situations such as debt consolidation, equity release and buy to let investments.
As a Mortgage Broker in Leeds, we are often able to help applicants going through a divorce or separation. Here are the most common questions asked by customers when it comes to Divorce & Separation Mortgage Advice in Leeds:
If there are children involved in this situation, it is usually the mother who stays inside of the property; this isn’t always the case though. Regardless of gender, it will be the same process for you if you want to remove your ex’s name from the mortgage.
Once you have decided that you are going to be the applicant to remain living inside the property, you will need to try and remove your ex-partner’s name from the mortgage. This is where you and your ex-partner will need to prove that they’re financially stable with their sole income alone. This can be demonstrated in different ways; measuring affordability, costs of living, and eligibility.
If you manage to remove their name from the mortgage and you have demonstrated that you are able to meet your repayments without your ex’s contribution, if by any chance you fail to meet a payment, they can chase your ex for the money. This is because, at the time of taking out the mortgage, you were registered as a second applicant so they can legally still ask for the money from you.
If you cannot demonstrate that you are able to afford your mortgage repayments on your own, then you may need to ask a family member to help out, or in some cases, an applicant will already have another person ready to move in.
It also makes no difference if you and your ex-partner create a verbal agreement that one party will not contribute towards any payments. Until you have successfully removed the name from the mortgage, that party will still remain liable for any payments, should the balance fall into arrears.
The process works exactly the same, however, you are trying to move out of the property and take your name off the mortgage. A recurring problem here is that the applicant remaining inside of the property could refuse to have your name taken from the mortgage. This could mean that you are still liable for any outstanding repayments that are not met by your ex-partner.
We deal with customers in both scenarios in Leeds, and most of the time it can be a complex and difficult situation, as it’s not that easy to remove a name from a mortgage. It also means trying to get a mortgage of your own as a sole name applicant or trying to get a mortgage still linked to another one. Even though you may not be paying anything towards the repayments, it doesn’t mean that you are not responsible.
If your name is still on your ex-partner’s mortgage, you may be asking the question “can I get two mortgages”. The simple answer is yes, however, it is down to your current financial and personal situation.
If you are still financially linked with your partner, your Mortgage Broker in Leeds or lender will assess this situation and be able to determine whether you can afford to be linked with two sets of repayments. Lenders always check ongoing financial commitments, which can include the mortgage payment you currently hold with your ex and any additional commitments you have, such as car payments, phone bills and more.
Our Mortgage Advisors in Leeds will try their best to help you in your situation. We know that not every scenario is the same, therefore, we will make sure that we are fully aware of the full picture before continuing.
Don’t be ashamed of getting Specialist Mortgage Advice in Leeds, we can work out how much you are able to borrow by checking your affordability and then take a look at some potential deals that could be perfect for you. If we work out your budget, you will be able to get an idea of where you stand.
Moving on from previous joint financial commitments can be difficult, and that is why we want to take the stress away and offer a helping hand. Remember that as far as lenders are concerned, it’s all about the risk. They would prefer to avoid repossession situations at all costs.
If you have reached your goal of completing all the required exams to become a Newly Qualified Teacher, you are probably looking at the next step. With all your new skills and qualification, you will be looking at finding yourself a teaching position.
You may find a teaching position that is based in an area that is too far to commute which could mean you looking at option available for you with Moving House in Leeds.
With this in mind, you may be looking at finding yourself a place to live. Due to keeping the balance between homeownership and settling into your new role, you may find this an exciting yet stressful time.
Throughout our time as a Mortgage Broker in Leeds, this situation has happened to numerous home buyers and homeowners who were wanting the process to be stress free and smooth while they focus on their new career.
As a Newly Qualified Teacher, it can be a challenge to look for a mortgage lender who will be happy to offer a mortgage to an individual who is a newly qualified teacher.
This could be for a number of reasons, one being a lack of or no work history to show or because they only have a temporary contract.
Despite these being an issue, there are numerous options for Newly Qualified Teachers who are looking to get a mortgage. Here at Leedsmoneyman, our knowledgeable team of Mortgage Advisors have helped a lot of NQTs on their journey of obtaining a mortgage with a Mortgage Broker in Leeds by their side.
On your mortgage journey as a Newly Qualified Teacher, it can be common to find that there are a small number of lenders who have deals suited to public sector workers like teachers.
In order for everything to run as smoothly as it can, it’s important that you choose the best mortgage lender for your circumstance. This part of the process can be the most difficult out of the full mortgage journey.
This is where a mortgage advice team in Leeds can help by searching through thousands of mortgage deals for you in order to get the most suitable deal for your circumstances.
Even though mortgages can be complex for New Qualified Teachers, there are still options out there available to you on the mortgage market.
Below are the types of mortgages that we find regularly come up when we are dealing with cases involving Newly Qualified Teachers.
When it comes to NQT mortgages, there are more other factors lenders might consider. In some cases, depending on the lender, they might not ask you to evidence previous employment and may let you get up to a 95% LTV (loan to value).
Some mortgage lenders may treat a 12-month first contract the same as a permanent job role, instead of seeing it as a temporary contract.
A small majority of mortgage lenders around the country could get you on your mortgage prior to beginning your job. This does mean you have to show them a signed contract and a confirmation of your start date.
This can be helpful for you, especially if you are preparing to start making your first mortgage payments at the same time as your first month’s wages from your new job is due, around the time your mortgage has completed.
At Leedsmoneyman, we have a team of knowledgeable mortgage advice experts in Leeds all with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in helping customers in the world of mortgages and the property markets, helping numerous first time home buyers with their mortgage needs.
Having a dedicated Mortgage Broker in Leeds by your side in the mortgage process can have many benefits. Our goal is to take the stress away and provide a tailored service through searching thousands of mortgage deals to find the one that is fitting for your situation. We also can recommend possible conveyancing solicitors for you to use and more.
If you are wondering what options are out there for you as a first time home buyer, book online for a free mortgage appointment with one of our expert mortgage advisors in Leeds. In this appointment, your dedicated advisor will ask you about your situation and help you with the next part of your journey.
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Leedsmoneyman.com & Leedsmoneyman are trading styles of UK Moneyman Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
UK Moneyman Limited is Registered in England, No. 6789312 | Registered Address: 10 Consort Court, Hull, HU9 1PU.
Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
We are entered on the Financial Services Register No. 627742 at www.register.fca.org.uk
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Leedsmoneyman.com & Leedsmoneyman are trading styles of UK Moneyman Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
UK Moneyman Limited is Registered in England, No. 6789312 | Registered Address: 10 Consort Court, Hull, HU9 1PU.
Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
We are entered on the Financial Services Register No. 627742 at www.register.fca.org.uk
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