Frequently asked questions

Typically two to six weeks from application to offer, though it varies with the lender and how quickly documents come back. Complex cases take longer. We'll give you a realistic estimate for your case rather than a best-case one.

Some lenders will consider it. Fewer than with two or three years, and the terms may not be as good, but it's not a dead end.

We'll ask you for a copy of your credit report early on, which doesn't affect your file. A lender will run their own search when you apply. That's why it's worth getting the case right before applying rather than trying lenders one after another.

Your bank can only offer you its own products. We compare over 80 lenders, including specialist ones you can't approach directly, and we handle the application for you.

No. We'll talk you through your protection options because we think it's an important conversation, but taking cover is entirely your decision and it isn't a condition of the mortgage advice.

Around six months before your current deal ends. Most offers hold for three to six months, which gives you time to secure something and still move if rates change.

We have whole-of-market access, with over 80 lenders available to us through the Stonebridge panel.

No. We're based on the Wirral and see plenty of clients locally, but most of the work happens over the phone or on video. We advise clients across the UK.

That's a lot of our work, and it's how the business started. A decline from one lender tells you about that lender's criteria, not about whether a mortgage is possible. First job is finding out why, which usually means looking at your credit report.

Yes. Three brokers turned down our founder for his first mortgage as a contractor before a specialist got it done. Same income, same deposit, different broker.