Buying your next home, or your first. Independent advice across the whole market, with the timing handled before it becomes a problem rather than after.
Lawes Financial is an independent, whole-of-market mortgage broker. Nathan Lawes is London-based and splits his time between London and Spain, and handles every case personally.
No credit check · no obligation
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
In short
General positions across the lenders we work with, checked September 2026. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation.
Moving home
The cheapest point to get advice. Your borrowing position is known before you commit to anything.
A lender's initial view on what you could borrow. Estate agents take offers more seriously with one behind them.
The full application goes in. This is where preparation earns its keep, or its absence shows.
The lender's formal commitment, after valuation and underwriting.
Funds move, keys change hands.
Ideally before you put your home on the market. Many people call us once an offer has been accepted, by which point the timing is already fixed and the options have narrowed. Speaking earlier means your borrowing position is known before you commit to anything, and it is one of the simplest things you can do to make a move go smoothly.
A smooth move is usually decided before the house goes on the market — by knowing your borrowing, your timing and your fixed rate before anyone makes an offer.Nathan Lawes, Director & Mortgage Adviser, Lawes Financial
Cost
Deposit
From 5%
Many lenders accept 5%, with more options at 10% and 15%. A larger deposit lowers your loan-to-value.
Our fee
£495
Payable on submission · up to 1% extra on some complex cases. Confirmed in writing before any work starts.
Other moving costs
Budget for these
Stamp duty, legal fees, a survey and removals. Amounts vary by property, location and circumstances — we'll talk through what applies to you.
Questions
Most lenders lend up to around 4.5× income.
Some go up to 5× for first-time buyers, and some lend more for higher earners. That multiple is the starting point, not the answer — lenders then assess affordability on your actual commitments, so two households on identical incomes can be offered very different amounts. Where you sit depends on your income shape, your outgoings and which lender is approached.
Many lenders accept a 5% deposit, and the range of options widens at 10% and 15%.
A larger deposit lowers your loan-to-value, which generally opens up a wider range of products. It is worth knowing what each band would mean for you before you decide how much to put down, because the difference between 5% and 10% is often more than it looks.
Often, yes.
Above around £500,000, higher-value residential mortgages tend to need lenders with higher income multiples, manual underwriting and genuine appetite for large loans — these cases often suit specialist or private lenders. It is less about the headline number and more about which lenders will underwrite the case by hand rather than by algorithm.
Not necessarily — but lender selection matters enormously.
Some lenders assess self-employed income on net profit, others on salary and dividends, others on a combination. Knowing which approach suits your income structure — and which lenders use it — is the difference between a smooth application and an unnecessary decline. We know exactly where to go.
Ideally before you put your home on the market.
Many people call us once an offer has been accepted, by which point the timing is already fixed and the options have narrowed. Speaking earlier means your borrowing position is known before you commit to anything, and it is one of the simplest things you can do to make a move go smoothly.
Often yes — this is called porting, and it carries your existing deal to the new property.
The existing balance moves across on its current terms; any additional borrowing is assessed separately and usually sits on a new product alongside. Porting is never automatic: it is a fresh application against current criteria and depends on the new property and your circumstances at the time.
There is more on this on our remortgage page.
This is worth checking early, because the timing is often fixable and almost never fixable late.
A fixed rate ending mid-move can mean falling onto the standard variable rate between selling and completing, or paying an early repayment charge to leave the deal before it ends. Which of those applies depends on your deal's end date and your lender's terms, and the options narrow considerably once a sale is agreed.
Four come up again and again.
Making an offer before you have an agreement in principle, which weakens your position and can lose you the property. Assuming porting is automatic when it is a fresh application. Missing the timing on a fixed rate, so a move triggers an early repayment charge that could have been avoided. And budgeting for the deposit but not for stamp duty, legal fees, a survey and removals, which together are rarely trivial.
Our standard fee is £495, payable when your application is submitted.
In some more complex cases, an additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply. The first conversation is always free, and we always confirm your total fee in writing before any work starts. We also receive a procuration fee from the lender, always disclosed in full in your Mortgage Illustration before you make any commitment.
From first conversation to mortgage offer typically takes 2–6 weeks depending on the lender and the complexity of your case.
We'll give you a realistic timeline upfront — not an optimistic one — and keep you informed at every stage without you needing to chase.
An independent broker has no obligation to any lender — which means the recommendation is based purely on what's right for you.
A tied broker, or one working from a restricted panel, can only recommend from their approved list. Independence means access to the full market and advice with no commercial bias.
Yes — and this is an area where independent advice makes a significant difference.
A decline usually means the wrong lender was approached, or the case wasn't packaged correctly. We reassess the situation from the beginning, identify the right lender, and approach them in the way most likely to succeed. A prior decline doesn't close the door.
No.
Non-UK residents and clients with overseas income are handled through our expat and international mortgages service, which has its own criteria.
Why independence matters
Lenders, not a panel
We access 80+ lenders, including specialist lenders who don't appear on comparison sites. More options means a better outcome — particularly for complex or non-standard cases.
Tied relationships
We have no commercial arrangements that influence which lender we recommend. No volume bonuses. No preferred placement deals. The recommendation you receive is based entirely on what is right for your situation.
Consumer Duty at the core
Every recommendation is held to FCA Consumer Duty standards — meaning we must demonstrate that what we advise genuinely serves your interests. It's not just a regulatory requirement. It's how we work.
Years of judgment
The lender that's right for your case isn't always the one with the lowest headline rate. Knowing where to go — and how to present a case to get the result it deserves — comes from experience that can't be replicated by a comparison engine.
Plain English
How we work
One adviser. Every case.
Nathan handles your mortgage personally from first conversation to completion. No handoffs, no junior advisers, no loss of context mid-process.
No preferred lenders.
We are paid procuration fees by lenders — but at the same rate across the panel. There is no commercial incentive to recommend one over another. Your outcome is the only consideration.
Transparent costs. Always.
Fees are confirmed before work begins. The lender's procuration fee is disclosed in your Mortgage Illustration. You know exactly what this costs and exactly why.
Long after completion.
We remain available as your circumstances evolve — for reviews, remortgages, second properties, or simply a straight answer to a question. This is a relationship, not a transaction.
At a glance
General criteria across the lenders we work with. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation. Criteria change frequently.
Deposit
Many lenders accept 5%, with more options at 10% and 15%.
Income multiple
Up to around 4.5× income; some lenders go to 5× for first-time buyers, and some lend more for higher earners.
When to talk to us
Ideally before you put your home on the market.
Our fee
£495, payable when your application is submitted. An additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply on more complex cases.
Lenders
Independent and whole-of-market, with access to 80+ lenders.
Your options
Answer the three questions and we'll show you which route is worth discussing.
Porting is usually the first thing worth looking at — it can carry your existing deal across and avoid an early repayment charge on the balance you already have.
Porting plus additional borrowing is worth discussing: the existing balance may move across on its current terms while the extra sits on a new product alongside.
With no early repayment charge in play, it's worth comparing a new mortgage against porting on total cost rather than assuming either.
Worth comparing both routes properly — without an early repayment charge, a single new mortgage is often simpler than splitting the borrowing.
Worth checking your mortgage offer or asking your lender what leaving early would cost — that answer usually decides which route makes sense.
Because you're in a fixed rate, an early repayment charge is the thing most likely to decide this.
Outside a fixed or discounted deal there is often no early repayment charge, though it is still worth checking.
Not advice. Porting is never automatic — it's a fresh application against current criteria, and which route suits you depends on your lender's terms and your circumstances.
Find out where you stand on your move →Moving home
| Aspect | Porting your existing deal | Taking a new mortgage |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Existing balance moves to the new property on its current terms | The existing mortgage is repaid and a new one taken out |
| Early repayment charge | Usually avoided on the ported balance | May apply if you leave a deal before it ends |
| Is it automatic? | No — a fresh application against current criteria | No — a full application |
| Additional borrowing | Assessed separately, usually a new product alongside | All borrowing assessed together |
| Depends on | The new property, your circumstances, and the lender's criteria at the time | Affordability and the market at the time |
General positions, checked September 2026. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation.
Worked examples
Illustrative only. Not quotes, not offers, and not a recommendation. Figures are rounded.
A £400,000 home with a £40,000 deposit — 10% — means borrowing £360,000, which is 90% loan-to-value. At around 4.5× income, borrowing of that size needs roughly £80,000 of household income. Illustrative only; lenders assess affordability individually.
Selling at £350,000 with £150,000 still owed leaves around £200,000 of equity. Buying at £500,000 with that equity as the deposit means borrowing £300,000 — about 60% loan-to-value. Illustrative only; figures rounded, and costs of moving are not included.
Next step
No charge for the call and no obligation. Whether you are buying, moving or just working out what is possible, you will get a straight answer.
No credit check · no obligation
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.