Home mover mortgages

Moving home is rarely just a mortgage. There's a sale to agree, a purchase to secure, solicitors on both sides and often a chain that depends on people you've never met. Getting the mortgage side sorted early takes a lot of the pressure out of everything else.

We're a mortgage and protection brokerage based in Leeds, with offices in Manchester and London, and we advise home movers across the UK by phone and video. Often people are moving up the ladder at the same time as their income has become more complicated, perhaps because they've set up a company, become a partner or started contracting.

Porting your existing mortgage

If you're part way through a fixed or tracker deal, your current mortgage may be portable. That means you can take the existing product with you to the new property rather than repaying it. It can be a sensible way to avoid an early repayment charge.

Porting isn't a formality. Your lender will look at your income and outgoings again, and value the new property, so it's subject to underwriting and valuation. If your circumstances have changed, or you need to borrow more, the answer may be different from last time.

Borrowing more when you move

Most home movers need a larger mortgage. If you port, the extra borrowing is usually arranged as a separate part with its own rate and terms, sitting alongside your existing deal. That can work well, but it can also leave you with two products ending on different dates.

The alternative is to repay your current mortgage, pay any early repayment charge and take out a new mortgage for the full amount. We set out both options side by side so you can see which looks better overall, not just which is simplest.

Moving home with complex income

This is where a broker who understands complex income can really help. Your current lender may have been the right choice when you were employed, but if you're now a company director, a partner in a firm or a contractor, its approach to your income might not suit you any more.

Some lenders use only the salary and dividends you've drawn, while others can consider your share of company profit. Some average two years of figures, while others may use your latest year where profit has grown. You can read more on our pages for company directors and partners in professional firms.

Timing your sale and purchase

The order things happen in matters. We'd usually recommend getting a decision in principle before you make an offer, so sellers and agents can see you're in a position to proceed. Once you've agreed a purchase, we submit the full application promptly, because mortgage offers have a limited lifespan and chains can move slowly.

If there's a gap between your sale and your purchase, or you'd like to buy before you sell, we'll talk through what's realistic and what it would cost.

What you'll usually need

• Your latest mortgage statement and details of any early repayment charge
• Photo identification and proof of address
• Payslips and P60, or SA302s, tax year overviews and accounts if you're self employed or a director
• Recent bank statements
• Details of the sale price and the property you're buying
• Details of any credit commitments

What happens next

1. A proper conversation. We talk through your sale, your purchase and how you're paid, usually in 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Your documents, once. Everything goes through our secure portal in one go.
3. Compare porting and switching. We research the market and show you the options in writing.
4. Decision in principle. So you can offer with confidence.
5. Full application. Packaged for the underwriter, with anything unusual explained up front.
6. Offer to completion. We keep your solicitor, the lender and the chain moving, and review your protection.

The first consultation is free. Tell us a little about your move and we'll aim to come back to you within the hour during office hours.