The Mortgage Broker Brief in your Premium+ report (£6.99) surfaces the cladding, flood, ownership and ground-stability flags that any FCA-regulated broker will need to answer for the lender, formatted to take to that conversation on day one.
It is a short, plain-English summary you forward to your mortgage broker as soon as your offer is accepted. It flags the building-safety, flood, leasehold and ownership issues that influence which lenders will lend on this specific property, before you pay an application fee.
It does not name specific lenders, recommend rates, or constitute regulated mortgage advice. Lender criteria change weekly. The brief is structured for one purpose: to give a qualified, FCA-regulated broker the property-side facts up front so their lender shortlist is accurate the first time. Verify every flag with a qualified broker before acting.
Top-floor 2-bed leasehold flat in a BSR Higher-Risk Building with no disclosed EWS1, in Flood Zone 2 with post-2009 build (so Flood Re does not apply), and an overseas-entity seller. One critical flag (EWS1), one high flag (Flood Re). Verify every flag with a qualified broker before submitting any application.
Finding. The building (Sample Wharf House, 32m / 12 storeys / 48 flats) is on the Building Safety Regulator's Higher-Risk Building register. No EWS1 form has been disclosed by the seller. Across all mainstream lenders, an HRB without an EWS1 rating of A or B1 is not lendable.
Action. Do not submit a mortgage application until you have a copy of the EWS1 form (or written confirmation that one is in progress) from the Principal Accountable Person. Verify the rating with a qualified, FCA-regulated broker before paying any application fee. Lender policy on EWS1 changes frequently and varies by valuation panel: always verify with a qualified broker against current published criteria.
Finding. Environment Agency mapping shows Flood Zone 2 (0.1%-1% annual probability). Property was built in 2017, after the Flood Re scheme cut-off date of 1 January 2009. Flood Re therefore does not apply to its buildings insurance.
Action. Obtain a specialist buildings insurance quote in writing before submitting the mortgage application. Lenders require buildings insurance from exchange; without a quote in hand the application can stall. Verify with a qualified broker whether your shortlisted lenders will accept non-Flood Re cover at standard rates.
Finding. Registered proprietor is Demo Properties Ltd (Guernsey). The Register of Overseas Entities checks under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 must be live at completion. This is primarily a solicitor concern, but mortgage offers have a finite validity and can lapse if ROE delays push completion out.
Action. Speak to a qualified broker about realistic timelines and whether the lender will extend the offer (typically 3 or 6 months from offer date) if completion slips. Ask the broker which lenders on your shortlist are most flexible on offer extensions for overseas-entity transactions.
Finding. BSR HRB blocks face possible external-wall remediation under the Building Safety Act 2022. Even where the freeholder or developer bears the work, lenders ask about the service charge reserve fund, current and forecast service charges, and any pending major-works (s.20 LTA 1985) consultations.
Action. Provide your broker with the LPE1, the last three years of service-charge accounts, and the reserve fund balance. Some lenders cap service charges as a percentage of income. Verify with a qualified broker whether the disclosed numbers fit each lender's affordability model.
Finding. Current EPC rating D (SAP 64); potential B (SAP 84). Most mainstream lenders no longer penalise sub-C ratings, but the discounted Green Mortgage range (cashback or rate uplift) is reserved for properties with an EPC rating of A, B or C at completion.
Action. If the seller is willing to fund or split low-cost EPC uplifts pre-completion (typically lighting, low-flow regulators, smart controls) the property may reach C. The cashback or rate margin can repay that investment within the first fix. Verify with a qualified broker whether the specific Green Mortgage product gain on your case justifies it.
This brief is not regulated mortgage advice. It does not name specific lenders, recommend rates, or guarantee any lending decision. Lender criteria for EWS1, flood, leasehold and overseas-entity sellers change frequently. Always verify every flag with a qualified, FCA-regulated mortgage broker before submitting an application or paying any fees.
Send the brief to your mortgage broker before you submit any application. Lender choice changes dramatically once cladding, flood or overseas-entity flags are surfaced.
Use the brief to triage the broker's lender shortlist. Critical flags eliminate panels of lenders entirely; high flags narrow the rate selection. Better to know now than at decline.
Track open items against the offer validity period. ROE delays and EWS1 chase can push completion past offer expiry and force a re-application.
Start with a free check. Premium+ (£6.99) unlocks the Solicitor, Surveyor and Mortgage briefs together.
See the other two briefs: Solicitor sample · Surveyor sample