FAQs - Getting Started

General queries about our service

What is 'share to buy' and what does the service offer?

The 'share to buy' service is a tailor-made scheme for buying property with friends or family, though we also offer a broad range of mortgage options for couples/partners and single applicants. Our package includes:

1. A range of mortgage choices including our 'Share to Buy Exclusive' provided in partnership with Britannia that is not available anywhere else, and will take into account up to four incomes.
2. Where our products are not 'exclusive', we are still able to add value because we have built up considerable experience as to how different lenders will deal with joint mortgage applications from friends, parent/offspring etc.
3. We provide a free and comprehensive legal agreement to cover the key issues of joint ownership.
4. We will help you right through the mortgage process.
5. And for all of the above, we do not charge a fee at any point.

How much does the service cost?

We do not charge a fee for our services but are paid a procuration fee by the lender if you take out a mortgage through us.

Where are you based and can I have a face-to-face interview?

We are based in London and can arrange face-to-face 'house visits' within the M25. However, in order to ensure that we can provide share to buy across the UK and without charging a fee, we operate primarily over the phone and internet and we are pleased to say that our customers have been drawn from right across the country.

I am looking to buy property with friends, where do I get started?

If you are one of the growing number of young people looking to buy property with friends, just click here for information on our shared mortgages for friends and how share to buy can help you buy your first home.

Our free mortgage illustration

What is the 'free mortgage illustration'?

Whether you are months from actually buying or you have had an offer accepted on a property, we can provide an illustration of what mortgages may be available to you. Our illustration form is secure and will be treated in confidence. We do not undertake a credit search and there is no obligation imposed on either party.

We offer you the option to tell us how near you are to buying. If you are 'just researching' or just looking for an idea of the maximum you could borrow, we will normally provide a rough estimate of the most you could borrow and how much this might cost. If you are near to buying a property, we suggest that you indicate that you will be buying in 'six weeks', in which case we will provide a more detailed illustration. There is a 'three months' option for those who are getting serious but not yet ready to buy.

Which mortgage should I choose?

Most people want to know which would be the cheapest mortgage option for them, however, this can only be known in hindsight because a range of varying factors will determine the ultimate cost of a particular mortgage. We aim, wherever possible, to offer you a choice of products from our panel of lenders together with a Key Facts Illustration (KFI) for each product.

Ultimately, whether you choose a fixed, capped or discounted product will depend on your own personal preferences but our aim is to provide you with enough information for you to make your own informed choice. Thus, rather than recommending a specific product to you, we will assist you in coming to a choice with which you are comfortable. Occasionally, that choice might be limited or restricted, if, for example, there are only one or two lenders that you could consider for reasons such as the income stretch; your circumstances; the type of property you are looking to buy.

For further information, the Financial Services Authority provides detailed information in its 'mortgages laid bare' website: www.mortgageslaidbare.info

What happens when my illustration is submitted?

You will receive an automated response confirming receipt and setting out some key points about our service. A member of our team will aim to respond to your illustration request within 24 hours though this may be sooner or later depending on workload.

What types of mortgage are covered by your illustration?

Our illustration is able to provide information on a full range of mortgage options, including exclusive deals; 100% mortgages and competitively priced fixed, capped and tracker mortgages.

We specialise in joint mortgages for friends buying property together – 'share to buy' – but we can also provide illustrations for Joint Mortgages between couples/partners; joint mortgages between family members, e.g. siblings for parent/child clubbing together; Shared Ownership Mortgages, known as 'part buy/part rent' with a Housing Association; and finally, we can provide mortgages for individual applicants.