If you’ve struggled to get a mortgage or agreement in principle from your bank, or even through another mortgage broker, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Book a free, no-obligation call with our experts to see if you’re eligible for a UK mortgage and how we can help.
Tell us a few details and we’ll confirm whether you’ll be eligible, how much you could borrow, what the best rate would look like, and what our fees would be for helping you. Free of charge, and no obligation to proceed.
We’ll talk you through your best mortgage option(s) and clearly explain any finer details you may need to consider. If and when you’re ready to proceed, we’ll arrange your Agreement in Principle with the lender to solidify your buying position.
When your offer is accepted, we’ll submit your full mortgage application. We keep it as simple and stress-free for you as we possibly can, and will keep you updated every step of the way. This is when we charge the first portion of our fee (usually £495), with the remainder due upon completion.
Throughout your purchase, we’ll monitor rate changes in the market in case any better products become available during your transaction. If any speed bumps arise during your property purchase we’re here to help – we’re responsive, proactive, and there’s little we haven’t seen before.
Access to the 25+ specialist expat lenders to find the best rates and terms for you.
We can even secure UK products for expats in some cases, which can equate to huge savings.
End-to-end application support, handling all paperwork and communications.
Streamlined process that reduces delays and uncertainty.
We can work to your time zone for telephone and video calls.
Familiar with complex income situations (self-employed, contractors, multiple currency earnings etc.).
Expertise in dealing with international employers and foreign employment contracts.
Private lending options available for high-value cases.
Head of Mortgages
Luther is the founder of UK Expat Mortgage and our parent company, Orton Financial.
After working in the industry for a number of years he decided to create his own company, the principle values being focused around fair and honest financial advice.
“Arranging a mortgage isn’t about selling a product. If you provide the best advice, the advice sells itself”.
With significant advisory experience in the expat lending market, Luther has an exceptional awareness of the challenges faced by expatriate borrowers buying property in the UK.
Senior Mortgage Broker
Louis is a Senior Mortgage Broker at UK Expat Mortgage, advising expats on securing cost-effective mortgages for UK property.
He also works with foreign nationals investing in the British property market, and individuals earning in foreign / multiple currencies.
He has strong relationships with BDMs and senior underwriters at the international building societies that lead the expat lending market.
We can help expats living in the below countries buy property in the UK:
Find out How Much You Could Borrow
The expat mortgage process varies depending on your circumstances. We recommend skipping to the section that’s most relevant to you:
When returning to the UK after living abroad, you’ll generally have two main paths to explore:
These mortgages typically offer the best interest rates and most favorable terms.
You’ll find them advertised by high street banks like Santander and HSBC, and the main advantage of these products is their competitive rates and terms.
However, they come with a significant caveat: they usually require a solid UK credit history, which you may not have if you’ve been living overseas for an extended period.
If you don’t have a strong UK credit history, expat mortgages become a viable alternative. (We’ll cover how you can build a UK credit profile quickly later, as sometimes it can be worth delaying your application to do this).
Here’s what you need to know about expat mortgage products:
Despite the slightly higher costs, expat mortgages remain a popular and viable option for many returning expats to get their foot back on the UK property ladder.
If you’re aiming for a standard UK mortgage, establishing or re-establishing your UK credit history is key.
At UK Expat Mortgage, we can advise on the best approach for you and roughly how long it may take, but here are some generally effective strategies across the board:
Alternatively, you could consider renting and applying this same strategy, but with most rental contracts lasting a minimum of 12 months (or 6 months at best), this is a longer-term approach and might not be worth the costs.
Getting a buy-to-let mortgage in the UK as an expat has its challenges, but it’s far from impossible. If you’ve only recently moved abroad and are remortgaging an existing buy-to-let, or are now renting out your UK home, it’s unlikely that your existing lender will offer you the best terms when remortgaging from overseas, or even accept you at all.
This means you’ll almost definitely need to shop around.
But the good news is that there are many specialised lenders that offer BTL mortgages specifically for expats.
These mortgages are designed to accommodate the unique circumstances of expats, including overseas residency, earnings in foreign currency, and lack of UK credit history.
It’s also worth considering interest-only expat mortgages.
These can provide more flexibility for your cash flow while you’re working overseas and are generally popular among expats, especially those earning large annual bonuses, for example.
You can repay the mortgage ad hoc in line with your earnings, or simply service the interest until you sell the property further down the line (usually easily covered by the rental income), hopefully taking profits from the increase in property value over time.
Many expats face rejection when approaching high street banks for mortgages while living abroad. If you go to remortgage your home with your current bank, for example, you almost definitely won’t be offered the best rates, or even be accepted at all.
This is because most of these banks aren’t set up for expat mortgages – they lack specialist underwriters and focus on generic UK mortgages (it simply fits their business model better).
Remember: A mortgage advisor from a high street bank can only advise on it’s own products. If they can’t offer an expat mortgage, they might tell you it’s not possible entirely, when in fact it is through other lenders.
This is where specialist expat mortgage brokers come in. We have connections with:
These connections allow us to facilitate a wide range of expat mortgage solutions, and we can compare rates across the market to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible for your situation.
Expat mortgage rates in the UK are generally slightly higher than standard mortgage rates due to:
However, specialist lenders and international building societies that cater to the expat market may offer more competitive rates.
High street banks often offer the best expat mortgage rates, but only a small number accept expat mortgages, and their lending criteria are typically the most strict.
We do our best to fit our clients’ applications into high street lending criteria if the rate saving is significant, but if this isn’t possible a competitive solution from a building society or specialist lender is still affordable.
Be prepared for potentially higher costs in terms of:
The expat mortgage process generally takes about the same time as a standard mortgage, ranging from 2 to 6 weeks, but sometimes slightly longer due to:
A good expat mortgage broker with an understanding of the international landscape can help speed up this process.
You generally need a 15% deposit for a residential expat mortgage.
Some lenders are willing to go higher than this for some applicants depending on your income and situation, while others won’t.
For buy to let expat mortgages, you generally need a 20% deposit.
Again, some lenders can go above this threshold in some cases, and others will cut lending off below this – it depends on the lender and your specific application.
To understand exactly how much you can borrow, how much deposit you’ll need and how much it could cost you in terms of rates and fees, book a free call with an advisor and we can walk you through the details.
For help with the process and to get a clear picture of your borrowing potential, speak to us today.
You can generally borrow from 3 to 5.5 times your salary with a residential expat mortgage, provided you have the necessary deposit to facilitate the loan size.
Note that if you’re not earning in GBP, your income will be docked roughly 15% to account for currency fluctuations.
Use our expat mortgage calculator for a rough idea.
Buy to let expat mortgages are based on the projected rental income of the portfolio and stress testing by the lender, so this is a separate calculation. Speak to us if you have a buy to let property in mind and want to work out whether you can afford to purchase it – or if you just want an initial idea of what you may be able to afford.
Working with a specialist expat mortgage broker can significantly improve your chances of securing a loan with favorable terms and rates.
Here’s why:
Perhaps most importantly, we provide end-to-end support for your application. This includes:
Yes, you can get a mortgage as an expat. There are specialised expat mortgage products available for British expats living abroad who want to buy property in the UK, whether for residential purposes or as buy-to-let investments. Even without a UK credit history, many specialist lenders are willing to provide mortgages to expats.
High street banks like HSBC, Santander and NatWest offer international mortgage products for expats, though their criteria are typically stricter.
There are also specialised expat lenders, international building societies, and private banks that cater to the expat market. You can see a comprehensive list here. As a whole-of-market broker, UK Expat Mortgage has access to 25+ specialist expat lenders.
Generally, you’ll need a 15% deposit for a residential expat mortgage and a 20% deposit for a buy-to-let expat mortgage. Requirements do vary based on your individual circumstances and the specific lender.
Yes, expat mortgages are typically 0.75-1% higher in interest rates compared to standard UK mortgages. They also generally have less competitive terms regarding perks like free valuations and may have higher lender fees. In some cases, we are able to fit expats into the criteria of a UK product, equating to huge savings, but it is not always possible.