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UK Mortgages for Expats and Foreign Nationals, Arranged From Anywhere in the World
Expat Mortgages UK is a specialist mortgage broker for British expats and foreign nationals who want to buy, remortgage or invest in UK property from overseas. We are a trading style of Commercial Finance Network, which was incorporated on 21 November 2017, and we are directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Since then we have helped thousands of expat clients around the world.
Most UK lenders are not set up for applicants who live abroad. Their systems expect a UK address, a recent UK credit file and income paid in sterling. We work with the lenders that do assess overseas income, foreign currency earnings and non-standard employment, and we place the application with the one whose criteria fit yours. If you are not sure whether you qualify, our guide on whether expats can get a UK mortgage is a good place to start.
Who We Help
Our clients include British expats planning a return home, foreign nationals buying their first UK property, and experienced landlords building portfolios from the Gulf, Asia, Europe and North America. Whichever mortgage you need, the first conversation is the same: we look at your income, where you live, the property and the deposit, and work out which lenders are realistic before anything is submitted.
Whole of Market, and Why That Matters
Being whole of market matters more in expat lending than almost anywhere else. The specialist lender pool is small, criteria differ a great deal from one lender to the next, and the products that suit overseas applicants are rarely on comparison sites or on a standard broker panel. We can place a case with any lender, so the recommendation depends on your circumstances and not on who we happen to have an agreement with.
That also helps if you have already been turned down. A decline usually means the application went to the wrong lender, not that the borrower is a poor risk. Cases that other brokers could not place are often where we start.
How It Works
Regular Communication and 24/7 Updates
Every client has a dedicated mortgage advisor and a dedicated case manager from the day they come on board. You can reach both directly by phone or email, and they stay with the case through to completion. There are no call centres and no chasing a general inbox to find out what is happening.
For clients overseas, waiting for UK office hours is not practical. Our WiiN portal, which stands for Where Is It Now, shows every stage of your application in real time from any device. When a stage completes, or when we need something from you, an automatic alert goes out straight away. Whether you are in Dubai, Singapore, New York or anywhere else, you always know where your application stands.
Daniel Yorke
Daniel Yorke is the founder and CEO of Commercial Finance Network, the FCA-regulated firm behind Expat Mortgages UK. He began his career on the technology side of UK financial services, selling to and consulting with banks and insurers from the late 1990s until 2015.
After running his own property portfolio for several years, he became extremely frustrated and disappointed with the service he received from a number of mortgage brokers. He knew he could deliver a much better service, so he set up Commercial Finance Network in 2017. He has been advising UK and expat clients ever since.
Where We Work
We arrange UK mortgages for expats in more than 30 countries, and we have written a detailed guide for each one covering the local income, currency and documentation points that matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Expat Mortgages UK regulated?
Yes.
We are directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 796413, and you can check our entry on the FCA register at any time.
Do you work with all lenders?
Yes.
We are whole of market, so we can place a case with any lender and are not restricted to a single panel. We recommend the lender whose criteria fit your income, residence and property.
How long does it take to get a mortgage offer?
Most expat and foreign national cases take between four and six weeks to reach an offer.
It varies with the lender, the country you live in and how quickly documents are provided.
Will I deal with the same people throughout?
Yes.
You are given a dedicated mortgage advisor and a dedicated case manager, and both stay with your case from the first conversation to completion.
What if another broker or a lender has already turned me down?
A decline does not close the door.
Most expat declines come from applying to a lender whose rules do not fit the applicant. We look at why the application failed and match it to a lender whose criteria suit your profile.
Speak to a UK Expat Mortgage Specialist
Tell us where you live, what you want to buy and roughly what you earn, and we will tell you which route is realistic. The first conversation costs nothing.