Case Studies

Updated April 2024

First Time Buyer with adverse from relationship breakdown/ gifted deposit from grandma

Young single mum, recently qualified as a teacher, looking to get out of her rented property and move to an area with better schools for her young son. Previous partner had left her with debts and missed payments affecting her credit score.

Solution - we sourced a good two year year fixed rate,  with a specialist lender with a view to switching to a high-street lender in two years time. Significantly, we guided the young lady through all elements of her first purchase - including negotiating with the seller, instructing a solicitor on her behalf and guiding her through the whole legal process through to completion.

Buy to Let Purchase & Remortgage – HMO & MUFB

Experienced Buy to let investor looking to buy a 7 bed HMO (House of Multiple Occupation) property to add to his existing portfolio of 8 properties. The client also needed to raise significant funds for the deposit by remortgaging his existing MUFB (Multi-Unit Freehold Building).

Solution –specialist buy to let lender sourced who would accept both property types on a very competitive 5yr fixed rate resulting in a happy client adding to his portfolio.

Home Mover with bad credit/ interest only /gifted deposit / 2 jobs / short employment history

This was one of our most challenging cases ever! The client had been referred to us after another broker had been looking to charge him a £1,500 fee. (We did not charge a fee at all on this case). The client had some old defaults and only been in his job for 3 months after 12 months unemployed. The deposit was also being gifted to him by 5 different people!

Solution - we sourced a five year year fixed rate, interest only, with a specialist lender who would accept all the unusual elements of this case. The client was delighted to move to bigger house to accommodate his young family.

Ex-Pat (working in Saudi Arabia) - Buy to Let Purchase UK

A client referred to us by an existing customer, she had no idea that it was possible to buy a rental property in the UK whilst working abroad. She wanted to use some savings accumulated to buy an investment property near her previous family home.

Solution – agreed £75,000 mortgage with a small regional building society on great rate discounted for 3year.

Product Transfer/Cash-Back Offer

This was a first for us! We ran a short promotion where we gave clients some cash-back (out of the commission we received from the lender). The client had come to the end of his fixed deal.

Solution – we kept the client with his current lender and did all the work to transfer him on to a new product. (We loved this because, in effect, by using a broker he got money back from the lender which he wouldn't have got doing it himself!)

Self-Employed - complex income

A client only received income via return of a directors loan from two businesses he held shares in. There was no dividend income or salary to use for income.

Solution – agreed £200,000 remortgage with a specialist lender using retained profits from two of his companies.

First Time Buyer - gifted deposit

Single man renting and looking to get back on the property ladder after divorce a few years ago. Looking to use a gifted deposit from friend.

Solution – placed with a high-street lender who was happy to accept gift of deposit from a non family member. Client has now been able to buy a house near his son.

First Time Buyer & First Time Landlord

Young woman living with her parents who has a dream to build a small property portfolio of rented properties. (Buy to Let). Currently working full-time but has never had a mortgage or owned any property.

Solution – placed with a high-street lender on a great five year fixed rate.

Home Mover - low salary, benefit income and gifted deposit

This was a tricky case to find a lender who would accept various income sources (including benefit income) along with the majority of their deposit being gifted from SIX different sources of family and friends.

Solution – placed with a high-street lender who was happy to accept benefit income and gift from a variety of sources. (Most lender will not accept a gift of deposit from more than two different people). Client has now been able to buy a house more suitable for his growing family.

Remortgage – reduce payments & pay off another loan

Married couple with a young child looking to pay off HTB equity loan and get a better deal.

Solution - Remortgage with a high-street bank on to a low 5yr fixed rate which saved the clients over £300 per month and paid off their Help to Buy equity loan.

Remortgage – switch from Interest Only to Repayment

Mature couple who had taken out an Interest Only mortgage 15 years ago and were concerned that entering their fifties they would not be able to pay off their mortgage before retirement. They needed to switch to repayment from interest only but this was not possible with their current lender.

Solution - Remortgage to a well-known building society on a lower interest rate fixed for 5years. The mortgage was put on to a part repayment/part interest only basis using downsizing as the repayment vehicle whilst keeping the monthly repayment similar to their previous deal.

Home Purchase – foreign income only 

Young professional, high earner working for a US bank and paid in dollars struggled to find any high-street lender who would accept non-sterling income.

Solution – placed with one of only two possible mainstream lenders who would accept foreign income with a low 5yr fixed rate product.

Remortgage – 4 applicants with 6 sources of income!

A complex income case where 4 applicants (two couples living together) with second jobs and rental income were looking to remortgage their high value London home on to a lower interest rate and switch to an interest only basis.

Solution – Remortgage to one of the only high-street building societies that would take into account all 4 applicants’ income and second jobs using sale of property as repayment vehicle and saving the clients over £1,300 per month.

Buy to Let Purchase – unfinished project

Buy to Let investor wished to purchase an unusual property this being a 8 bedroom converted shop with no kitchen which is deemed un-mortgageable by mainstream banks and building societies.

Solution – a bridging loan was arranged for 12 months which allowed the applicant to buy the property and install a new kitchen. We also arranged a buy to let remortgage as the exit with an high street lender once the works were complete.

Buy to Let re-finance with adverse credit

Single parent struggling to refinance expensive borrowing and refurbish two London apartments. There was also the added complication of both flats being on the same title and the applicant having two County Court Judgements registered against them.

Solution – a bridging loan with no monthly payments allowed the client 12 months breathing space along with additional funds to finish the refurbishment and rent out both apartments. Title was also split at the point of refinance to give the client the flexibility to sell one of the apartments later or remortgage on to a longer term BTL deal.

Commercial Purchase of Restaurant Property 

Tenant looking to purchase the freehold of the restaurant he had rented for last 12 years, however, was struggling to find a lender due to his poor financial accounts and low deposit.

Solution – commercial lender sourced with manual underwriting who would accept additional security from his residential property whilst taking into account the rent he had paid over the preceding years.

Buy to Let Purchase – high-rise flats/ex-council/late payments

Investor looking to buy 2 ex-council flats with great rental income next door to each other on the 11th floor of a 13-storey block. This case had the added complication some late payments on the clients other properties.

Solution – we were able to source one lender who would take both properties with a 25% deposit.

Buy to Let Purchase – family gift of deposit

Buy to let investor looking to buy a property from his cousin who was happy to gift the deposit in terms of equity so that client did not need to provide any of his own funds. 

Solution – lender sourced with a very competitive 5yr fixed rate and able to accept the gift of equity deposit.

Buy to Let Purchase – non UK citizen

Foreign National, resident and working in the UK on a Visa but with no permanent right to reside looking to purchase a BTL property.

Solution – this was a challenging case as several lenders will consider a residential mortgage for foreign nationals, however, very few will allow a BTL purchase without permanent rights to reside. We were able to find one mainstream lender with excellent rates along with one specialist lender happy to take this applicant.