Apply for a mortgage in principle

A mortgage in principle (which can also be called a decision in principle, agreement in principle, or Mortgage Promise) shows how much you can borrow based on our assessment of your personal circumstances. By applying, you’ll know how much we may be able to lend to you. There’s no impact on your credit file and you don’t have to commit to taking out a mortgage with us.

A mortgage in principle (or agreement in principle) gives you an idea of how much you can borrow. There’s no commitment to taking out a mortgage, and it will not affect your credit score.

Getting a mortgage in principle online with us shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes.

First, we’ll ask you a few questions and you’ll fill out the mortgage in principle application form.

Then we’ll run a soft credit search to check we’re able to lend to you. This doesn’t affect your credit score, and it’ll give an idea of how much you can borrow.

This decision is subject to full assessment carried out by our Mortgage Experts. That normally happens within 24 working hours of you applying.

We’ll email you with a decision and, if applicable, a Mortgage Promise document (which is a mortgage decision in principle) by the end of the next working day.

Our lending decision depends on the availability of suitable products at any given time, and the ability to undertake a valuation of the property.

If we can’t give you a mortgage in principle now, we’ll tell you as soon as possible in the application process.

• Your personal details, including 3 years of address history
• Details of your deposit and where it’s coming from
• Information about the type of property you’re looking to buy
• If you’re remortgaging, details of your current mortgage
• Income details from your latest payslip, or latest 2 years self-assessments if you’re self-employed
• Details of any other income you have, such as child benefit or other allowances
• Details of any financial commitments you have, such as credit cards, loans, car finance or childcare costs

Your mortgage in principle will last 4 months if there are no changes to the original details you provided. If you want to get another mortgage in principle, either with us or another provider, you can do that at any point.

No, a mortgage in principle doesn't guarantee a mortgage. When you go through the full mortgage application, you’ll need to verify your income and other details. If anything changes since you first applied it could give you a different decision.

It will depend on the severity of your previous money issues. If you want, you can chat to us about your circumstances to understand whether they’ll affect the likelihood of being accepted for a mortgage.