How to a get a mortgage with Better.co.uk

Create your Better.co.uk account so you can complete and track your mortgage application.

Your account will let you:

• save and continue at any time

• skip sections and come back to them when you have the information ready

Tell us about your finances and property to complete our easy online mortgage or remortgage form. 

We use bank grade encryption to keep your data secure. 

Once you’ve completed your profile, you’ll get a personal mortgage adviser. 

Your adviser will:

• check through your details

• search through 12,000 deals from 100+ lenders to find a mortgage that’s right for you

• send you your mortgage recommendation and explain why they chose it for you

• contact you, often within 5 hours to talk you through your options

You can choose this deal or speak to your adviser if you want some advice or would prefer a new deal.

Our experts will find you a deal that is more than just the lowest cost. 

They’ll look at the total cost with fees, how much you’ll have left to pay after your initial period and your personal situation. 

This may help you pay your mortgage off quicker which could save you money in the long run. 

Learn more about our mortgage recommendations.

When you’re happy with your deal, we’ll get your application ready for the lender. 

We’ll ask you to upload some documents.

The documents will depend on your situation and your lender but often include:

• bank statements

• payslips

• proof of ID

• proof of address

• proof of deposit

Read more about uploading documents.

When you’ve uploaded your documents, we’ll check them against the information you gave us earlier. 

Once you’ve uploaded your documents we’ll:

• let you know if anything’s missing or if it does not match the information you gave us

• help you get everything ready and guide you through the next steps

• submit your application to the lender when everything’s ready

• contact you if they need any extra information

This takes 24 hours on average but can take up to 2 days depending on your situation.

Your case manager will chase the lender to make sure everything’s on track and keep you in the loop every step of the way. 

Once we’ve sent your application to the lender:

• they’ll start the initial underwriting to check your credit history, affordability, eligibility and property details (this often takes around 3 to 5 days. We’ll email you when it’s done)

• your case manager will let you know if they’ve asked for any extra information

• you’ll upload the information to your Better.co.uk profile

• your case manager will work with the lender until they instruct the valuation. This helps your lender check if you’re paying too much or not enough for the property

• you’ll book a date and time for the valuation to take place

• your case manager will tell you if and how much the lender is willing to lend you based on the result of the valuation

It’s important to check if you could keep paying your mortgage if something happens like if you get too ill to work. 

Protection can help put your mind at ease so you can avoid losing your home. 

One of our expert protection advisers will get in touch to see if you have enough mortgage protection for:

• long term sickness and disability

• life threatening critical illness

• early death

• unemployment 

Once the lender has your application, they’ll review your details and do a credit check to make sure you can afford the amount you’re looking to borrow. 

They’ll want to do a valuation of the property to check it’s worth the amount you’ve agreed to pay for it. 

You can also ask to pay for a more detailed survey to check for any structural issues if you want. 

If it’s all okay, the lender will accept your application and send you a mortgage offer letter. 

If you’re buying a home, your solicitor or conveyancer will:

• confirm everything’s in place to secure the mortgage with the lender

• agree a completion date with the seller and their solicitor

The day you transfer the money to your solicitor, you’ll be able to pick up your keys from the estate agent and move in. 

When the initial period on your mortgage ends, you’ll be moved onto your lender’s standard variable rate (SVR).

The SVR is usually much higher, which means your mortgage repayments can increase by a lot.

We’ll get in touch when it’s time to start looking for a new mortgage deal. It’s a good idea to start looking for a new deal about 6 months before the end of your initial period.