At Advantage we are the Expat Experts.
We have helped individuals from all over the globe secure mortgages back in the UK. If you’re living abroad and want to save some money on a mortgaged property back in the UK or buy a new property in the UK it’s important that you speak to a broker with the relevant experience in this field as some of the lenders are lesser known and don’t publish their rates.
The process of obtaining a mortgage whilst living abroad differs to that of a UK based mortgage application, the below checklist breaks down what you will need. If you still have questions, you can view our Non-UK National FAQ here.
Expat Mortgage Checklist:
A UK credit profile
Whilst you’re living abroad its advisable that you keep some active credit in the UK as this ensures your credit score is maintained and helps prospective lenders identify who you are. You don’t need much, most lenders like you to have three active credit agreements in place. This could be a current account with an overdraft, a mortgage or a credit card.
Proof of Address
Even though you’re not living in the UK the lender will still typically require some form of address proof. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a bill or financial statement, a letter from your employer will suffice.
Certified ID
Most lenders will require certified ID to support your application. This means you may need to visit a local law firm or public notary in order to have your documents certified. This isn’t the case with every lender so it’s always worth bearing in mind if it’s going to be tricky for you to do this.
UK Income
If you are remortgaging a property that’s already let out. You will need to provide evidence of the income which it’s generating for you in the UK. Ordinarily this would be the Tax Calculation which can be download by the self-assessment HMRC website or your accountant can provide this for you.
We have arranged Expat Mortgages for individuals in the below countries. If your country doesn’t appear on the list don’t despair, we can still help! Just give us a call.
- All European Countries
- Kuwait
- Hong Kong
- USA
- Saudi Arabia
- Australia
- Canada
- Yemen
- New Zealand
- UAE
- Oman
- Singapore
- Bahrain
- Morocco
- South Korea
- Qatar
- South Africa
- Japan
Contrary to much of the information out there online. There are a few lenders that have no minimum income requirement. If you’re living abroad on shoe string or if all of your income is from your rental property back in the UK it’s still absolutely something we can help you with.
Case Study:
Here is an example of a customer that we have recently helped
Mr Smith – April 2020
Mr Smith was currently living in Italy when he approached us, however he moves around a lot. He works for a United Nations international fund which exists to protect the needy. He could be in Africa for a year and Brazil the next!
He has a property back in the UK worth around £225,000 which he used to live in many years earlier, the property had been let out for nearly 20 years and was in need of some maintenance in order to keep it fresh and up to scratch for the tenants. There was another mortgage for a property he owned in Botswana which he wife and kids lived in.
We were able to significantly improve on the interest rate he was paying on his mortgage back in the UK and also raise enough capital to allow him to completely pay off the mortgage in Botswana in renovate his Buy to Let property. The lender was happy to do this providing we had something from the tenants stating that they didn’t mind remaining in the property whilst the renovation works were being undertaken.
Mr Smith ended up with a mortgage on the UK property that was costing him less per month than the original mortgage as well as completely paying of the African mortgage. He is happy that his outgoings have been considerably reduced and hie tenants are very happy with their new kitchen! In this case the monthly saving for Mr Smith was £1085 compared to the situation he was in before he approached Advantage.
April 2020 – The clients name has been changed in the above case study.
We would love to hear from you about your Expat mortgage enquiry so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
