Getting Ready for Your Mortgage Appointment
About 20 minutes of prep will save you hours later - and means we can give you proper answers, not rough estimates.
We've put this together because the clients who get the best outcomes are the ones who arrive prepared. Nothing here is mandatory — but if you can work through it before our call, the conversation will be far more useful for both of us.
What we'll cover in our first conversation
Our first conversation usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. It's a proper discussion about what you're trying to do, what your situation looks like, and what's realistic. I'll ask about your work, your income, your outgoings, your deposit, your timescales, and what matters most to you in a mortgage. I'll give you indicative borrowing figures and monthly costs, and we'll talk through your options.
This isn't an application — it's a conversation. Nothing is committed to and there's no obligation to proceed. If we agree it makes sense to move forward, the next step is a fact find (which I'll partly fill in for you, based on our chat) and then I'll do the research and come back with a recommendation.
30–40 minutes
Typical call length
No Cost
No charge for the first call
No obligation
Nothing committed on the day
No credit check
Not at this stage
Questions worth thinking about
You don't need answers to all of these. Just having thought about them means we can go deeper, faster.
Your purchase or remortgage
- What's your ideal timescale, and what's driving it?
- Are you working to any deadlines - chain, lease expiry, rate ending, a life event?
- What's your deposit, and where is it coming from?
The mortgage itself
- How long would you ideally want the mortgage term to be?
- Does the lowest possible monthly payment matter most, or would you trade a slightly higher payment for more flexibility or certainty?
- Do you have a preference between fixed-rate certainty and variable-rate flexibility?
- Any plans in the next 2–5 years that might affect your mortgage - moving, extending, change in income, having children?
Your situation
- Any concerns about your credit history we should talk through?
- Any income that isn't from your main job - bonuses, commission, a second income, rental, investments?
- Any existing protection in place - life cover, critical illness, income protection?
Documents to gather before the call
You won't need to send anything to me yet. Just have these gathered in one place — a folder on your phone or laptop — so they're ready to upload after our call. Select your employment type below.
If you receive a regular bonus or commission on top of your salary, have your last 2 years' P60s ready - lenders vary in how they treat variable income, and having the history helps.
Only been trading 12 months? Some specialist lenders will consider 1 year of history. Don't assume you don't qualify - speak to us first.
If your company has significant retained profits, those can often be factored into the affordability assessment. Worth mentioning on the call - it can materially change the picture.
Lenders who use day-rate assessment can calculate affordability very differently from those who look at payslips or P60s. Let us know your day rate and contract structure on the call.
Retirement mortgages and later life lending have expanded significantly. Maximum age at end of term varies by lender - some have no upper limit. We'll find the right fit for your situation. *This service is provided by a trusted third party.
How to get your documents
The most common sticking point is knowing exactly where to find each document. Here's where to look.
Downloading bank statements
Most lenders want PDFs from your banking app or online banking — not photos or screenshots. The PDFs include digital verification stamps that prove the statement is genuine. Here's how for the main UK banks.
- Log in at hsbc.co.uk (or First Direct at firstdirect.com)
- Select the account you need statements for
- Choose Statements from the account menu
- Select the date range covering your 3 months
- Click Download and save as PDF
In the mobile app: tap the account → Statements → select month → Download.
- Log in at barclays.co.uk
- Select your account, then choose Statements
- Pick View and download statements
- Select the month and click Download PDF
Barclays app: tap your account → Statements → select month → download.
- Log in to your account online
- Select the account, then choose View statements
- Select your date range or individual month
- Click Download as PDF
On mobile: account → Statements & documents → select month → download.
- Log in at natwest.com (or rbs.co.uk / ulsterbank.co.uk)
- Select your account and choose Statements
- Select the date range you need
- Download as PDF
- Log in at santander.co.uk
- Select your account
- Go to Statements and select your date range
- Download as PDF
- Log in at nationwide.co.uk
- Go to your account and select Statements
- Choose the month(s) you need
- Click Download PDF
- Log in at tsb.co.uk
- Select your account → Statements
- Choose the date range
- Download as PDF
- Log in at co-operativebank.co.uk
- Select your account and choose Statements
- Pick your date range and download as PDF
- Open the Monzo app and tap your account
- Go to Settings (the person icon at the bottom right) → Documents
- Select Bank statements
- Choose the date range and export as PDF
Monzo statements are only available via the app — there's no desktop portal. Make sure you export as PDF, not CSV.
- Open the Starling app and tap the menu (three lines, top left)
- Go to Documents → Statements
- Select your date range and choose Download PDF
- Open the Revolut app, tap the Home tab
- Tap the three-dot menu (top right) → Statements
- Select the account, choose your date range
- Export as PDF (not CSV or Excel)
Note: Some lenders are cautious about Revolut as a primary account. If Revolut is your main account, let us know on the call and we'll advise accordingly.
- Open the Chase app and tap your account
- Tap the profile icon → Account documents
- Select Bank statements and choose your date range
- Download as PDF
Getting your SA302 and Tax Year Overview from HMRC
If you're self-employed, a company director, or have untaxed income, you'll need these. The SA302 shows your tax calculation; the Tax Year Overview confirms what HMRC has on file for the same year. Both are downloaded from your HMRC Personal Tax Account.
- Go to gov.uk/personal-tax-account and sign in with your Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login credentials
- Select Self Assessment
- Choose Get your SA302 tax calculation
- Select the most recent tax year and click Print your full calculation — save or print as PDF
- Repeat for the previous tax year
- Return to the Self Assessment menu and download Tax Year Overview for the same two years
Haven't set up a Personal Tax Account? Registration takes about 10 minutes. You'll need your National Insurance number and either your passport or your most recent P60.
Downloading payslips
Most employers use a payroll portal. Here's where to find PDFs from the most common ones.
- Log in at ipayadp.com or via your company's ADP link
- Go to Pay → Pay Statements
- Select each of the last 3 months and click Download PDF
- Log in via your company's Sage HR / ESS link
- Go to Payslips from the menu
- Select each month and click Download
- Open the Xero Me app or log in at my.xero.com
- Tap Payslips
- Select each payslip for the last 3 months and download as PDF
- Log in via your employer's IRIS employee self-service link
- Go to My Payslips
- Select and download the last 3 months as PDFs
- Log in to your Workday account via your employer's link
- Go to Pay from the home screen
- Select Payslips and choose each of the last 3 months
- Click Print and save as PDF
- Log in at your company's BambooHR URL
- Click your name (top right) → My Info
- Go to the Pay tab → Payslips
- Download each of the last 3 months as PDF
Photo ID
We need a clear photo of your passport or driving licence. A few things that make life easier:
ID damaged, expired, or unavailable? Get in touch before our call and we'll talk through alternatives. Don't let this delay you.
Evidence of deposit
What we need depends on where your deposit is coming from. If it's a combination of sources, just have evidence of each.
From savings: bank or savings statements showing the funds, ideally covering the last 3–6 months so lenders can see how it built up. A sudden large balance with no explanation can raise questions — a clear savings trail prevents that.
From a property sale: completion statement from your solicitor — this confirms the net proceeds from your sale.
From inheritance: grant of probate or a letter from the estate's solicitor confirming the amount and your entitlement.
Gifted from family: we'll send you a gifted deposit form to complete after our call. The person gifting will also need to provide a bank statement showing the funds are in their account.
After our call
Fact find — about 15–20 minutes
After our conversation, I'll send you a fact find via our network's secure client portal. Most of it will already be filled in based on what we discussed - your job is to review it, correct anything I've got wrong, and upload the documents you've gathered.
Research & recommendation
Once the fact find is complete, I'll do the research. That means going through the 100+ lenders we work with, identifying the right lender for your situation, and putting together a clear recommendation - not just a rate, but a full explanation of why this option and not another.
Second call — your recommendation
We'll book a second call to go through the recommendation together. You'll have the chance to ask questions, adjust anything, and decide whether to proceed. There's no obligation at this stage either.
Application & offer
If you're happy to proceed, I'll submit the application. For most straightforward cases, mortgage offer comes within 2–4 weeks. We manage the process throughout and keep you updated at every stage.
Frequently asked questions
No. The call itself doesn't require any documents - it's a conversation, not a review session. Having them ready to upload afterwards is what matters. Use the lists on this page to get organised, but don't delay your call because of a missing payslip.
Don't worry. Most clients find they're missing one or two things - usually an SA302 or a month's bank statement. Get what you can, and flag anything missing on the call. I'll tell you exactly what's needed for your specific situation and whether it will actually affect anything.
Yes. After our call, we use a secure client portal operated by our network to collect documents. It uses bank-grade encryption. We don't ask you to email sensitive documents, and we don't share your information beyond what's required to process your mortgage application.
No. There's no charge for the initial conversation. If we agree to move forward, our advice fee is discussed and agreed before any work is done. You won't be billed for anything without prior discussion.
Complex situations are what we do. If you've been declined elsewhere, have multiple income streams, unusual employment history, or a patchy credit record - that's exactly the kind of case we handle. Don't assume you need to have things sorted before calling. Part of what we do is help you understand what you're actually working with.
Absolutely. If you're buying with a partner, it's usually helpful to have both of you on the call - it saves having to relay information back and forth. Parents or other support are welcome too. Just let us know when you book.
That's fine. The first call is specifically designed to give you enough information to make that decision. You'll come away with indicative figures, a realistic sense of your options, and a clear next step - whether that's proceeding with us, thinking it over, or going away to sort something first. No obligation, no pressure.
For a straightforward purchase or remortgage, mortgage offer typically comes within 2–4 weeks of submitting the application. Completion depends on the conveyancing - usually 8–16 weeks from offer accepted, sometimes faster on a chain-free purchase. We'll give you a realistic timeline based on your specific situation on the call.
Any questions before our call?
If anything's unclear, or you'd rather talk it through before we speak, just reply to the WhatsApp message you've had from us and someone will come back to you. Or if you've not booked yet and ended up here through a search - feel free to get in touch. The first call is free and there's no obligation.
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