The questions we get asked most.

Your bank can only offer you its own products. A whole of market broker compares across lenders, including intermediary only lenders whose products are not available directly to the public. If your circumstances are straightforward and your bank is competitive, you may well end up there anyway, but you will know it was the right choice rather than the only one you looked at.

Typically £295 for a remortgage and for a mortgage when purchasing a property. The actual fee depends on your circumstances and will not exceed 1% of the mortgage amount. It is confirmed in writing before you commit to anything. Initial advice, your decision in principle and the application itself cost nothing up front.

Nothing prepared. Rough income, roughly what you have saved, and any monthly commitments such as car finance or credit cards. Documents come later, once we know which lender we are going to.

Only if you want to. Cristian is based at the Town Hall in Padiham and is happy to meet clients in Burnley, Pendle and the Ribble Valley, but most cases are handled by phone, video and email, including for clients across the rest of the UK.

Broadly four to four and a half times income, though some lenders will stretch further for certain professions, higher earners or larger deposits. Existing credit commitments and childcare costs reduce it. Our affordability calculator gives an indication, and a short call gives you a proper figure.

5% is the usual minimum for a residential purchase, 10% opens up noticeably better rates, and buy to let normally starts at 25%. Gifted deposits from family are widely accepted with the right paperwork.

No. It is an indication based on the information given and a credit check, usually valid for around 90 days. The full application involves verifying income, reviewing bank statements and valuing the property, all of which can change the outcome.

Yes. Two years of accounts or tax calculations opens up the widest choice. There are lenders who work from one full year, and some who use your latest year rather than an average, which helps when income is rising.

A decision in principle with most lenders uses a soft search, which other lenders cannot see. Only a full application leaves a hard footprint. We check which type a lender uses before submitting anything.

No. Plenty of lenders will consider adverse credit depending on how old it is, how much it was for and whether it is satisfied. The rate is usually higher, and the plan should include moving to mainstream lending when the entry drops off.

It is worth doing. Free reports are available from the main credit reference agencies and it is much better to find an error before a lender does.

A decision in principle is often the same day. Full application to mortgage offer typically takes two to four weeks. Completion depends on the chain and the solicitors rather than the lender.

Usually photo identification, proof of address, three months of payslips or two years of accounts, three months of bank statements and proof of your deposit and where it came from.

The lender may reduce the loan or decline it. Options are to renegotiate the price, increase the deposit, challenge the valuation with evidence, or move to a lender using a different surveyor. We will talk you through which is realistic.

We come back to you around six months before it finishes and compare a product transfer with your current lender against a full remortgage, so you never drift onto the standard variable rate by accident.

No, with the exception of buildings insurance, which most lenders require as a condition of the mortgage. Everything else is entirely your choice and we will price it so you can compare.

Often not. Death in service is typically a salary multiple that ends when the job does, and employer sick pay usually runs for a few months. We look at what you already have before recommending anything.