Published 30 September 2026. Positions correct as at this date.

Short answer: usually yes. Your existing mortgage lender is asked to consent to a second charge being registered against the property, and many treat it as routine. It is one of the steps in the process rather than a hurdle in front of it — but it is the step most likely to decide your timeline, so it is worth understanding what is actually happening.

What is being asked, and what isn't

Your main lender holds the first charge on your home. That is a legal interest registered at the Land Registry, and it means they are repaid first if the property is ever sold or repossessed.

A second charge sits behind it. Registering one does not change the first charge at all — not the rate, not the term, not the monthly payment, not any of the terms you agreed to. What the lender is being asked is simply whether they consent to another charge being registered behind theirs.

So the question is narrower than it sounds. Nobody is asking your lender to re-approve your mortgage, and nothing about your existing deal is reopened.

Why lenders are usually relaxed about it

Because their position does not change. They are still first in line, their security is unaffected, and the second charge lender has taken the weaker position knowingly.

Many lenders have a standard process for it, handled by a dedicated team, and they issue consent as a matter of course. Some charge an administration fee, which is worth knowing about in advance rather than discovering at the end.

What can slow it down

This is the honest part, and it is why we handle consent rather than leaving it with you.

Some lenders are simply slower than others. The range is wide, and it is not always the lenders you would expect. Where we know a particular lender takes longer, we start the request earlier.

Requests go astray. Consent sits between two lenders, a broker and often a solicitor. It is exactly the kind of step that waits in someone's queue unless somebody chases it, which is a job rather than a formality.

Some cases get a closer look. If your mortgage is recent, or there have been missed payments, or the combined borrowing would be high against the property's value, the request may be reviewed rather than rubber-stamped.

What happens if they say no

It does happen, and it is not the end of the conversation.

A refusal usually points at something specific — the combined loan-to-value, the payment history, a restriction in the mortgage terms. Once you know which, there is often something to do about it: a smaller second charge that brings the combined figure down, or waiting until a particular condition no longer applies.

It also reopens the other two routes. If your existing lender will not consent to a second charge, the question becomes whether they would offer a further advance instead, or whether a remortgage to a different lender is the better answer anyway. A refusal narrows one path and makes the comparison between the other two more urgent; it does not close the subject.

Where it sits in the timeline

A second charge typically takes around four weeks from application to funds. Consent runs alongside the valuation and the lender's own underwriting rather than after them, which is why starting it early matters: it is rarely the longest step, but it is often the last one to arrive.

What you actually have to do

In practice, very little. We request consent, chase it, and keep it moving. You will usually not need to contact your lender yourself, and you should not need to explain anything to them — the request is a standard one and goes through the channel they have for it.

If your lender does write to you about it, tell us. It is usually an acknowledgement, occasionally a question, and knowing which saves a week.

General positions across the lenders we work with, checked September 2026 — not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it. This article is general information, not advice. Second charge mortgages secured on your home are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lawes Financial Limited (FRN 1046161) is an appointed representative of Andrew Charles Consulting Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 304904).