Mortgage friction · before advice
Something changed before your mortgage? Start with the situation you're actually in.
New job, probation, self-employment, a declined application, gifted deposit or late payments? Start with the issue that changed, organise what you can control and prepare better questions before speaking to a qualified mortgage adviser.
- Free educational preparation
- No lender matching
- No eligibility verdict
What changed?
Choose the situation that brought you here
- Changing jobs or on probation
- Self-employed evidence
- Previously declined
- Using a gifted deposit
- Late payments
Starting more broadly
Start from where you are in the buying journey
If there is no single change driving your question, use the broader route that best matches what you are doing.
The six preparation pillars
What good preparation usually covers
Identity and address
Know which documents prove who you are and where you live, and keep them current.
Income evidence
Understand which records match how you are paid, whether employed, self-employed or variable.
Banking clarity
Read your own statements so you can explain anything unusual in one sentence.
Deposit and source of funds
Evidence the money exists and where it came from, including any documented gift.
Credit information
Check your own files with more than one agency and correct errors early.
Costs and questions
Budget beyond the deposit and arrive with written questions for an adviser.
Three actions today
Small steps that make an adviser conversation easier
- 1Check your credit filesRequest your reports from more than one UK credit reference agency and read every section.
- 2Start one folderCreate a single folder for identity, income, banking and deposit evidence, with clear file names.
- 3Write three questionsNote the three things you most want a qualified adviser to explain.
Tools
Free, no account needed
How we stay trustworthy
Our trust model
- We do not advise. No recommendations, no eligibility assessments, no lender or product suggestions.
- We use traceable sources. Claims that depend on rules, official guidance or external facts are sourced and checked before publication.
- We show our review trail. Guides include review information so you can see when the material was last checked.
- We correct openly. If something needs changing, our corrections policy explains how we handle it.
Common starting points
Preparation guides for common situations
Income · 8 min read
Mortgage on Probation or After Starting a New Job
Mortgage on probation or starting a new job? See a ten-lender published-criteria snapshot, what evidence may be needed, and how first payslips and future start dates fit in.Income · 10 min read
Self-Employed Mortgage Evidence: SA302, Accounts & Accountant References
What self-employed mortgage evidence can include, how SA302s and tax year overviews differ, when an accountant reference or certificate may be requested, and how to organise the records you already hold.Applications · 8 min read
Mortgage declined? What to check before you apply again
A calm, factual order of work after a UK mortgage application was declined: what you are entitled to be told, the areas worth checking, and how to prepare a one-page summary for a qualified adviser. Educational only.Deposit & LTV · 8 min read
Gifted Deposit Letter & Evidence: What to Prepare
Need a gifted deposit letter for a UK mortgage? Build a private preparation draft, see what donor evidence may be requested, and check what varies by lender and conveyancer.Credit · 7 min read
Late or missed payments before a mortgage application
A late or missed payment is recorded information, not a verdict. What the record is, how to check what is held about you across the main credit reference agencies, and why no page can tell you how a lender will weigh it. Educational only.Income · 8 min read
Mortgage With One Year's Accounts: What Self-Employed Applicants Can Prepare
Only one year of self-employed accounts? See what FCA rules say, a current named lender example, and how to organise SA302s, tax-year overviews and business records.
Getting advice
Speaking to a qualified adviser
When you want advice, you need a qualified mortgage adviser, not us. Before You Apply is not FCA authorised, makes no introductions and recommends no firm, lender or product. Contact a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser directly when you are ready for a recommendation.
FAQs
Common questions
Is Before You Apply a lender or a mortgage adviser?
No. Before You Apply is an educational preparation platform. We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We do not lend, arrange mortgages, recommend lenders or products, assess eligibility or give regulated mortgage advice. For advice about your own circumstances, contact a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser directly.
Can you tell me whether I will be approved?
No, and neither can anyone other than a lender assessing a complete application. Our tools describe how organised your preparation looks based on the answers you give. They never predict a lending decision.
What is the difference between preparation and regulated advice?
Preparation is getting your own information, paperwork and questions in order. Regulated advice is a professional assessing your circumstances and recommending a specific mortgage. Preparation is what we help with; advice has to come from an authorised adviser or lender.
Do you refer people to advisers or brokers?
No. There is no referral journey, introduction arrangement, partnership or commission arrangement with any adviser, broker or lender, and we name no firms. You choose and contact an adviser independently, and you can check whether a firm is authorised on the FCA's public register first.
Do I need an account to use the tools?
No. Every tool works without signing up. Your answers stay in your browser unless you explicitly choose a feature that saves them, such as Save Plan.