mortgagerequired.com

What It Is

Mortgage Required is an independent UK mortgage brokerage founded in 2001 and headquartered in Maidenhead, England. As an independent whole-of-market adviser, the company is not tied to any specific bank. It aims to match UK homebuyers, movers, and investors with the most suitable mortgage products, while also offering related insurance and conveyancing services.

Core Dimension Analysis

• Service Types: Covers a full range of mortgage services, including first-time buyer mortgages, residential purchases, remortgaging, equity release, and buy-to-let, with additional support for insurance and conveyancing.
• Compliance and Licensing: Authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference number 573718, and covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service, providing a strong level of regulatory assurance.
• Rates and Fees: Uses a “free advice + fee on successful arrangement” model. Mortgage advice itself is free, but if a mortgage is successfully arranged, a fee of £399 to £599 is charged. Insurance services are free for customers, with commission paid by the insurance provider.
• Risk Control and Efficiency: Although no underlying technical risk-control system is mentioned, the company offers an efficient service that can issue an “Agreement in Principle” within 30 minutes. It also guides customers on improving their credit score to increase the likelihood of mortgage approval.

Pricing

Mortgage advice is free, with a £399–£599 fee charged upon successful loan arrangement. For users who only need advice or rate comparison, the cost is zero, but those who proceed with a completed mortgage arrangement will pay a mid-range broker fee.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 1. Whole-of-market comparison helps ensure customers get the best available rates; 2. Highly friendly to first-time buyers, offering free guides and access to special schemes such as 1% deposit / 100% mortgage options; 3. Excellent customer reputation, with 100% positive Google reviews.
Cons: 1. Services are limited to the UK, with no international coverage; 2. The arrangement fee starts at £399, which is slightly higher than some online platforms that charge no broker fee; 3. The offline team is mainly concentrated in southern England.

Who It’s For

Best suited to UK-based first-time buyers, remortgagers looking for better rates, older homeowners seeking equity release, and buy-to-let investors.

Access from China

The website mainly provides information for the UK local market and can be accessed directly from mainland China without content restrictions. However, the financial services themselves are limited to UK property and residents.