Mortgages
What you can
What you can
actually borrow.
Not the lender's optimistic number. The real one — based on your actual life, stress-tested for rate rises, with proper headroom for when things change.
Not the lender's optimistic number. The real one — based on your actual life, stress-tested for rate rises, with proper headroom for when things change.
A lender will happily offer you a £300,000 mortgage if you technically qualify. Whether that's a good idea is a separate question. We've seen people borrow right to their ceiling — then a job change, a new baby, or a rate rise puts them under real financial pressure.
Getting affordability right means the numbers work not just today, but when life does what life does.
Our free mortgage calculator gives you a quick borrowing estimate and a monthly repayment figure in under a minute. No email required.
Base salary, bonuses, commission, self-employment earnings, rental income. We use sustainable figures — not a peak year that won't repeat.
Credit cards, car finance, student loans, personal loans, child maintenance. Every committed payment reduces what you can safely borrow.
Council tax, utilities, childcare, insurance, food, transport — the non-negotiables that lenders sometimes underestimate in their calculations.
What happens at 6%? 7%? 8%? If the numbers only work at today's rate, you're exposed to something that's happened before and could happen again.
Planning a family? Career change? Going part-time? Over a 25-year mortgage these things matter — and they should factor into what affordable actually means.
Sarah, £35,000 salary (£2,400 take-home per month)
Committed expenses: £1,080/month. Car finance: £150/month.
Money left: £1,170/month.
What the bank's calculator says: "You can afford £1,200/month."
What we say: "£900/month is realistic — around £150,000 at current rates — with enough left over to absorb rate rises and life changes."
We won't tell you what you want to hear. If your numbers don't support the house you're looking at, we'll say so clearly. Better to hear that now than to be house-poor for a decade.
Your credit file is part of the affordability picture too — lenders weigh it alongside income and outgoings. Before your consultation, it's worth knowing what's on it. Check My File shows data from all three credit reference agencies in one place — the same data a lender will pull. Try it FREE for 7 days, then £14.99/month — cancel online any time.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Book a free chat and let's work out what you can genuinely afford — before you fall in love with a property.