Why the questions you ask matter
UK mortgage advice ranges from outstanding to actively damaging, and the regulator can only do so much after the fact. The single most reliable filter is the quality of conversation in the first meeting. A skilled adviser welcomes detailed questions because answering them is how they earn the next two decades of your business. A weak adviser deflects, generalises or rushes you toward an application. The checklist below is built to surface that difference quickly.
Questions about credentials and regulation
- Are you FCA authorised, and what's your firm's reference number? Cross-check on the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk. Confirm "advising and arranging on regulated mortgage contracts" is permitted.
- What qualification do you hold? CeMAP is the minimum. Many advisers also hold CeRER (equity release), CertCII (MP) or specialist BTL/commercial qualifications.
- How long have you personally been advising on UK mortgages? Tenure matters because specialist lender knowledge is built case by case.
- Who supervises your work? Smaller firms may rely on a network principal. Larger directly-authorised firms have internal compliance.
Questions about scope and panel
- Are you whole-of-market or do you work from a restricted panel? Whole-of-market means access to (effectively) every active UK lender. Restricted means a narrower list — sometimes a single lender (a tied adviser).
- If whole-of-market, roughly how many lenders are on your panel? 50–90 is typical. Below 30 raises questions; above 90 usually means access to specialist lenders too.
- Do you have agencies with specialist lenders like Pepper Money, Kensington, Vida, Together, Precise and Bluestone? Critical if your case has any complexity.
- Are there products you can't access that I could go to directly? A few high-street lenders (notably First Direct) skip intermediaries. A good adviser will tell you when direct is genuinely better.
Questions about fees
- Do you charge a client fee? If yes — how much, when is it payable, and is it refundable if the case doesn't complete?
- What procuration fee do you receive from the lender? A confident adviser quotes the range (typically 0.35%–0.55%) without hesitation.
- Does the procuration fee influence which lender you recommend? The honest answer is "it shouldn't, and our process is designed to prevent that." Ask how.
- What other fees should I expect? Lender arrangement fee, valuation fee, legal fees, broker fee — all should be itemised in writing.
Questions about your specific case
- Which 2–3 lenders look strongest for my circumstances, and why? The "why" is the value — income type, credit profile, deposit source, property type, loan size.
- What's the rate range I should realistically expect? Not a guarantee — a credible range based on current pricing for your LTV band and profile.
- How will my income be assessed? Self-employed, contractor, bonus, second job and rental income are all treated differently across lenders.
- What's the maximum borrowing each shortlisted lender will allow? Income multiples vary from ~4.5× to 6×+ depending on income, LTV and lender.
- Will any aspect of my profile cap my LTV? Adverse credit, new-build, ex-local-authority, high-rise flats and certain construction types all have LTV impacts.
Questions about products and structure
- Fixed or tracker — and why for me specifically? A useful answer references your risk tolerance, rate outlook and likelihood of moving or remortgaging.
- 2-year, 3-year or 5-year fix — what's the rationale? Shorter terms keep optionality; longer terms lock in certainty but carry steeper early repayment charges.
- What are the early repayment charges, and when do they apply? Usually 1%–5% sliding scale during the fixed period.
- Is the deal portable if I move home? Most are, but porting depends on re-underwriting at the new application.
- What overpayment allowance does the product give me? 10% per annum is standard; some lenders allow more.
Questions about the process
- How long will the application take to offer? 2–4 weeks is normal for clean cases on the high street; specialist lenders take longer.
- Who is my point of contact when you're not available? Holiday cover and case-handler escalation matter.
- How will you keep me updated? Email, portal, phone — set expectations.
- What happens if a lender declines? A good adviser already has Plan B and Plan C lenders identified.
Questions about ongoing service
- Will you contact me at remortgage time? Most good firms run a "ready for renewal" diary 6 months before the fixed-rate end.
- Is there an annual review of my mortgage and protection? Worth knowing — life events change borrowing capacity.
- Will you handle protection (life, critical illness, income protection) separately? A holistic adviser brings it up; a transactional one doesn't.
Pros
- A 30-minute Q&A surfaces 90% of what you need to judge an adviser.
- Written answers on fees and panel protect you legally and financially.
- Specialist questions filter out generalists for complex cases.
- Asking about process expectations reduces stress during application.
- Good advisers welcome the questions — they prove your commitment.
Cons
- Asking everything in one go can feel adversarial — pace yourself.
- Some advisers oversell panel breadth; verify against the FCA Register.
- Procuration-fee transparency varies; some firms hide behind "market standard".
- Lengthy first meetings can pressure you to commit before you're ready.
- Comparing two advisers requires asking the same questions in both meetings.
Red flags to listen for
- Pressure to give consent to credit search before any product discussion.
- Vague answers on fees or "we'll cover that later".
- Reluctance to provide an ESIS for the recommended product.
- One-lender answers to multi-lender questions ("Everyone goes with X").
- No mention of protection or life events at all.
- Verbal-only promises that aren't backed up in writing.