Getting yourself mortgage-ready
Lenders care about three things, can you pay it back, do you have a deposit, can you prove who you are. This stage sorts all three.
This is the stage where you make yourself look as good as possible on paper. Lenders make decisions based on data, not personality. The cleaner your paperwork looks when you apply, the smoother everything else gets.
Useful tools and providers
Recommended checkmyfile, All 4 credit reports in one
The only UK service that pulls all four credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Crediva) into a single report, so you see exactly what lenders see. Free 7-day trial, then £14.99/month (cancel anytime).
Get your free 7-day trial →Free Lifetime ISA explained
Read the full guide to LISAs before opening one. The 25% government bonus is genuinely free money for FTBs.
Learn more →Don't apply for a new credit card, car finance, or 'Buy Now Pay Later' in the six months before your mortgage application. Every credit search leaves a footprint, and lenders interpret a cluster of recent applications as financial stress. One BNPL purchase has sunk more first-time-buyer applications than I care to count.
When you've worked through everything in this stage, mark it complete to track your overall progress.
Found this useful? If you'd rather talk it through with a real broker, book a free chat with DS Financial, the regulated mortgage adviser.
Book a free chat with DS Financial