Better.co.uk FAQs

Better.co.uk is a hassle-free way to get a mortgage. We help first-time buyers and existing homeowners save time and money when securing a mortgage online. We then continue to monitor your mortgage and help you switch to a suitable deal later on.

We’ve improved on the outdated process of applying for a mortgage by bringing it online, cutting out the paperwork, and waiting times.

We are a mortgage broker, not a comparison site. Rather than act as a comparison site, we tailor our service to each customer and do all the searching for you.

With access to over 100 lenders, we have the scope to search the market, compare deals, and narrow down your options.

All you have to do is sign up with us and one of our advisers will soon be in touch.

Rather than matching your deal, we search for the right mortgage for you from over 90 lenders. In some scenarios it might be that we can match that product, but we'll always offer what we think is the most suitable mortgage for your particular circumstances.

We ask what’s important to you; whether it be low monthly payments, a shorter mortgage term, or a low rate. We then use this information combined with your personal circumstances to find the right product for you.

Our initial consultation service is always free. Once you decide to proceed with a mortgage application, you may have to pay a fee depending on your circumstances and credit history. We charge a fee of £199 for the administration of your application when you fall under our definition of “Adverse”.

Our administration fee will be refunded if we cannot find you a lender.  

Be aware that you might still incur fees elsewhere.

Typically lenders tend to have their own fees, such as valuation fees and product fees. These will be outlined by your mortgage adviser before your application is submitted. We’ll also factor these into your affordability so there are no nasty surprises later down the line.

Other fees you may come across when applying for a mortgage are solicitor fees. Some lenders offer a free solicitors service, however, you also have the option to obtain your own paid solicitors.

Like many brokers, we receive a fee from the lender for helping you secure a mortgage with them. This fee is not added to your mortgage, it comes solely from the lender.

We’re proud to work with over 90 lenders, including your high street lenders such as Halifax, Barclays and Santander.

We also work with your lesser-known mortgage lenders who are able to help in more unique circumstances, such as adverse credit and smaller deposits.

These lenders include:

• Accord Mortgages

• Ahli Bank

• Airdrie Savings Bank

• Aldermore

• Arbuthnot Latham

• Atom Bank

• Axis Bank

• Bank & Clients

• Bank Leumi

• Bank of China

• Bank of Ireland

• Barclays International

• Barclays Wealth

• Bath Building Society

• Beverley Building Society

• Bluestone Mortgages

• BlueZest

• BM Solutions

• Brown Shipley

• Buckinghamshire Building Society

• Cambridge Building Society

• Chorley Building Society

• Citigroup

• Close Brothers

• Clydesdale Bank

• Coutts & Co

• Coventry Building Society

• Credit Suisse

• Danske Bank

• Darlington Building Society

• Deutsche Bank

• Dragonfly

• Dudley Building Society

• Earl Shilton Building Society

• Ecology Building Society

• EFG Private Bank

• Family Building Society

• First Trust Bank

• Fleet Mortgages

• Fortis

• Foundation Home Loans

• Furness Building Society

• Halifax

• Handelsbanken

• Hanley Building Society

• Harpenden Building Society

• Harrods Bank

• Hinckley & Rugby Building Society

• Hodge Lifetime

• Holmesdale Building Society

• HSBC

• Interbay

• Investec

• Investec Private Bank

• Ipswich Building Society

• JP Morgan Private Bank

• Kensington

• Kent Reliance Building Society

• Keystone

• Kleinwort Benson

• Landbay

• Leeds Building Society

• Leek United Building Society

• Loughborough Building Society

• Magellan Home Loans

• Mansfield Building Society

• Market Harborough Building Society

• Marsden Building Society

• Metro Bank

• Monmouthshire Building Society

• Mortgage Trust

• NatWest Intermediary Solutions

• Nationwide Building Society

• NatWest International

• Nedbank Private Wealth

• New Street Mortgages

• Newbury Building Society

• Newcastle Building Society

• Nottingham Building Society

• Octopus

• Paragon Mortgages

• Penrith Building Society

• Pepper Home Loans

• Platform

• Post Office

• Precise Mortgages

• Principality Building Society

• Progressive Building Society

• RBS Private Bank

• Royal Bank of Canada

• Saffron Building Society

• Santander

• Schroders

• Scottish Building Society

• Scottish Widows Bank

• Secure Trust Bank

• SGPB Hambros

• Shawbrook Bank

• Skipton Building Society

• Skipton International

• Stafford Building Society

• State Bank of India

• Swansea Building Society

• Teachers Building Society

• The Melton Building Society

• The Mortgage Lender

• The Mortgage Works

• Tipton Building Society

• Together Money

• TSB Bank

• UBS

• Ulster Bank

• Vernon Building Society

• Vida Home Loans

• Virgin Money

• West Bromwich Building Society

Some lenders choose not to work with mortgage brokers, meaning we don’t have access to their products. These lenders include:

• Chelsea Building Society

• Co-operative Bank

• Cumberland Building Society

• First Direct

• Lloyds Bank

• Yorkshire Building Society

To find out more about which lender might be right for you and to view some of their latest rates, visit our lenders page.

Firstly, we issue what’s known as a Mortgage in Principle. This is a document that shows you how much you could potentially borrow from a lender based on your personal circumstances (such as your income and outgoings) so that you can start looking for your dream home.

You can then use your mortgage in principle to help you secure an offer on a property and start your journey to home ownership.

Congratulations! Now that you have your offer accepted we'll be able to start looking for the right mortgage for you.

Once you've updated your profile with the property details one of our mortgage advisers will send over your personal mortgage recommendation.

Once you’re happy with the mortgage recommendation, we'll then ask you to upload the relevant documents required for your mortgage application. You can find a list of these here.

We’ll then submit your application to the lender and your new case manager will see your application through to completion.

We'll then track your mortgage throughout its term and let you know when it’s time to remortgage.

Whether you're looking to switch mortgage products to save money, raise capital, or you're just curious about your options, we're here to help.

Simply create a profile with us and one of our dedicated mortgage advisers will be in touch with a personal mortgage recommendation.

Once you’re happy with the mortgage recommendation, we’ll submit your application to the lender and your personal case manager will see your application through to completion.

We can help with purchasing and remortgaging buy-to-let properties.

When it comes to purchasing, your affordability will be based on the size of your deposit and the monthly rental income, rather than the usual personal income as with a residential property.

Lenders will typically require a minimum of a 25% deposit and the monthly rental income in order to assess affordability for buy-to-let properties.

Once you have an offer accepted on a property, you’re ready to create your Better.co.uk profile. Our advisers will then assess your affordability over a mortgage recommendation.

We’ve created a mortgage process that works for you. Applying for a mortgage through a traditional mortgage broker often means paperwork and long phone calls during work time.

Better.co.uk gives you complete control over your mortgage application. You can apply online in ten minutes, then speak to your adviser over email or phone at a time that suits you - whatever works better.

There’s no need to take time out of your working day to take phone calls or time off work to visit the office in person. 24/7 access to your Better.co.uk profile makes it easy for you to track your application.

Whether it’s your first, second, or you’re losing count of your mortgages, we understand that every mortgage is just as important as the first. This is why we aim to help people love the process of owning their homes.

We’re also looking out for the trees - we’re completely digital and use (almost) no paper!

We currently can only assist UK residents who are living and paying tax in the UK. Additionally, the property being mortgaged must also be in the UK. This includes buy-to-let mortgages.

If you're a permanent UK resident at the time of your application, then we're happy to help!

We can currently help those who are a citizen or dual nationals of the UK or EU, have indefinite leave to remain, or have either a Tier 1, Tier 2, Family or Spousal Visa.

Unfortunately, if this doesn't apply to you then we're unable to help at this time. However, as we continue to grow we hope to expand our service to more people.

Depending on the specific details of your financial situation, we may still be able to help if your credit history isn’t in the best shape.

We work with a number of specialist lenders who specifically offer mortgages for those with poor credit, as well as well-known high-street lenders.

Usually, if you’ve had a country court judgement (CCJ), default, or have been on a debt management plan, these will need to have been cleared for 5 years before applying for a mortgage.

Most lenders will require you to have no previous mortgage payments missed for at least six years before applying for a mortgage.

Please note that adverse credit customers may be asked to pay a fee when applying for a mortgage with Better.co.uk.

We work with a number of mortgage lenders who offer mortgages for the self-employed.

Some lenders will require a minimum of one year's Tax Year Calculations and Tax Year Overviews, or one year's accounts. However, in most cases, this is 2 or 3 years.

Depending on which lender we suggest, we’ll make you aware of their requirements and let you know which documents we’ll need to prepare your application.

We work with many lenders who offer mortgages for contractors.

Most lenders are more than happy to lend to contractors, whether you are considered PAYE or self-employed. Lenders typically take a common sense approach when it comes to contractors and providing you meet their criteria they should be able to lend to you.

Criteria can be based on the length of time you’ve been contracting, your proof of income, credit, and the size of your deposit amongst other things.

When calculating your affordability lenders will typically go by your daily or monthly rate and take an average over the last three months. However, some lenders can take an average of six months. This will be lender-specific and dependent on your circumstances but your Better.co.uk adviser will look for the most suitable option for you.

We understand that not everyone receives the same type of income.

We can help if you:

• are on a low income

• are on certain types of benefits, such as disability benefits, and are looking for a residential mortgage

• have flexible income, such as a zero-hour contract

Unfortunately, we can’t support you in your search for a mortgage if you don't currently receive any income and are looking for a residential mortgage.

We understand that your mortgage is likely to be the biggest financial commitment of your life and we take it very seriously.

We think there are several reasons why you'll have confidence in our service:

• Every Better.co.uk mortgage adviser is fully CEMAP qualified with years of industry experience.

• Personal information that you share with us is treated as confidential and is stored securely using military-grade encryption.

• We’ll never sell your personal data or share it with any third parties.

• Since launching our service in January 2016, we’ve managed over £1 billion of mortgages on behalf of UK homeowners.

• We've been featured in hundreds of national UK press and media outlets, such as The BBC, The Times, and The Telegraph.

• We’ve raised over £19 million in funding from well-respected investors such as Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Propel Venture Partners, Finch Capital, LocalGlobe, Zoopla, and Seedcamp.

• A number of household names have trusted us enough to partner with us, including Zoopla, uSwitch, Totally Money, and Money.co.uk

• We've received over a thousand five-star reviews from our customers on the independent review site

   

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If you would like to read further into our policies please find our Business terms here.

We’ll receive the majority of the information we need to find your ideal mortgage when you complete your Better.co.uk profile. We’ll ask a few questions about your personal details, income, and outgoings, as well as your current mortgage and home (if you have one).

Lenders will ask for 3 months' bank statements and payslips, your ID, and your address. Depending on your credit score, they may also ask for a copy of your credit history.

If you’re self-employed lenders will require a minimum of one year's Tax Year Calculations and Tax Year Overviews, or one year's accounts. However, in most cases, this is two or three years.

Depending on which lender we place you with, your dedicated mortgage adviser will make you aware of their requirements and let you know what documents we’ll need to organise for your application.

All personal information you share with us is treated as confidential and stored securely using military grade encryption, so you can be sure your sensitive information is safe.

We’ll always treat your data and privacy with respect. This applies where we need to share this to provide you with the best possible service.

Most commonly, we'll use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• Where we need to perform the contract we're about to enter into or have entered into with you.

• Where it’s necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.

• Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

We've detailed more information about this in our privacy policy.

Yes. You can edit your Better.co.uk profile by logging in and updating the details you wish to change.

You’ll be able to edit your profile up until the point you receive your mortgage recommendation. If you’d like to edit your details after you’ve received your recommendation, please speak to your adviser and they’ll guide you on the best way to do so.

When editing your profile, all the information you input is saved automatically so there’s no need to worry about losing any unsaved details.

Please email us at [email protected] (or email your adviser directly, if you have one) letting us know that you’d like to delete your profile.

You can also message us at any time by clicking the live-chat icon - you can find it at the bottom right-hand corner of the Better.co.uk website.

Once requested, we’ll delete your profile in line with our data protection policy.

If you’d like to be removed from the following methods of contact, please email your request to [email protected] or ask a member of our friendly team using our website’s live chat.

• Email

• Phone

• Mail

Alternatively, you can also reach us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.