How firms earn a place in our lists
What we look for when choosing mortgage brokers and advisers for each city list, why a place cannot be bought and how to check a firm before you go ahead.
A firm that arranges remortgages all day is not necessarily the one to see about equity release, and a good name in general says little about how a broker copes with a contractor’s income. These questions sit behind every list on MortgageDex, and we ask them the same way in every city.
Does the firm really do this work?
We begin by sorting firms by the advice they actually give. Bank and building society branches, estate agents and accountants who offer no mortgage advice are left out. On the pages for first-time buyers, the self-employed, poor credit, buy to let or later-life lending, firms with genuine experience of those cases come before firms that simply include them in a long menu of services.
Reputation earned over time
Next we consider what clients say about each firm in public, something anyone can look up. A good reputation means more when it rests on years of completed mortgages, so a few recent rave reviews do not count for as much as a long and consistent record.
Openness about how it works
We read each firm’s website and official channels too. We want to see who gives the advice, whether the firm searches the whole of the market or a panel of lenders, how it charges, where it is based and how it treats customers in difficult circumstances. A firm that sets all of this out before you get in touch gives you something solid to weigh up.
Independence
The order is an editorial decision based on merit, and we revisit it from time to time. No firm pays to appear or to change the criteria. A firm that has already been chosen may take a Pro plan, with a fuller page, or a Top place near the head of a list, and either one is always marked with a label.
Check before you proceed
Residential mortgage advice is regulated in the UK. Make sure the firm is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, or is an appointed representative of a firm that is, and find it on the Financial Services Register to see what it is permitted to do. If a detail on any of our pages is out of date, please tell us via the contact page.