Buy a home
We discuss your budget and deposit alongside the flat's lease and building details. If this is your first purchase, see our first-time buyer mortgage advice for the wider buying journey.
A flat can be a suitable mortgage property, but the lender will assess both your finances and the particular flat. Its tenure, lease, running costs and building can all affect the route. Tell us what you know and we will help you identify the mortgage questions to resolve before you apply.
Advice by phone and online, with face-to-face appointments in some circumstances. No fee for the initial mortgage evaluation; any applicable fees are explained before chargeable work.
Yes, many flats can be mortgaged. A lender still has to accept the applicant and the property as security. If the flat has an unusual feature, the answer depends on current lender policy, the valuation and the facts of that building.
This is the starting page for one flat used as a home or investment. It gives you the first checks and points to our more detailed pages where the property has a specific issue.
We discuss your budget and deposit alongside the flat's lease and building details. If this is your first purchase, see our first-time buyer mortgage advice for the wider buying journey.
Weigh a product transfer with your existing lender against a new lender, considering charges, valuation and any change to the building or lease. Read our remortgage service.
Say if it will be rented rather than occupied by you. Rental income, tenancy plans and property criteria can change the mortgage assessment. Continue to our buy-to-let mortgage page.
Already been declined? Ask what caused it: the applicant, the valuation, the lease or missing building evidence. That reason is more useful than simply submitting the same facts elsewhere.
Find out whether the flat is leasehold, share of freehold or another arrangement and ask how long the lease has left. The lender will consider its own lease policy; your conveyancer checks the legal rights and obligations. A freehold interest in a block does not by itself explain how each flat is owned. Our leasehold mortgage page covers the detail.
Ask for the current service charge, any ground rent, buildings insurance arrangements, reserve fund and known major works. These can affect your budget and the lender's view. Your conveyancer should obtain and review the leasehold information; do not rely on an advertised monthly figure alone.
Give the block's approximate height, construction and any known cladding or remediation. A lender's valuer may seek external-wall evidence, but an EWS1 is not required for every flat and is not a safety certificate. See high-rise flat mortgages and what an EWS1 form means.
Tell us if the property is a studio, a maisonette, above a shop or in a converted building. Floor area, access, nearby use and construction can be relevant to a valuation. We can check current criteria for the actual property.
A new-build flat, an ex-local authority flat or a flat used as a second home may need a different conversation. Tell us the property's background and whether you plan to occupy, let or change its use. The mortgage must fit the intended use.
Two buyers like similar flats. One seller can provide the lease, recent service charge accounts and answers about planned works. The other is still waiting for the managing agent. Neither flat is automatically acceptable or unacceptable. The difference is that the first buyer can ask an adviser and conveyancer more precise questions before committing to an application.
You can speak to us before gathering every document. A short, accurate brief lets us identify what to check next.
Later in the process, a lender and conveyancer may need proof of income, deposit source, identity, lease information and building documents. We will tell you what is relevant to your case and how to provide it securely. Do not attach bank statements or identity documents to a first call-back request.
Explain the flat, the intended use, your budget and anything already flagged by a seller, valuer or lender.
We discuss affordability and relevant current lender criteria. Your lender's valuer decides whether the property is acceptable security, while your conveyancer deals with the legal title and lease.
We explain the next steps and any applicable fees before chargeable work. You can then decide whether and when to make an application.
Count Ready Limited is an appointed representative of Connect IFA Limited. We are a credit broker, not a lender. Our initial mortgage evaluation has no fee; our Terms of Business explain possible later fees and commission. Check our published details on the FCA Register. Advice cannot guarantee acceptance or remove income, legal and property checks.
Some flats need extra property checks, especially around tenure, building structure or ongoing charges. That does not mean every flat is difficult to mortgage. Lenders assess the individual property and applicant under current criteria.
There is no lease length that works for every lender and loan. Ask for the unexpired term and, if an extension is planned, its proposed terms and timing. A conveyancer should advise on the lease; we can check current mortgage criteria.
It depends on the legal structure and how repair, access and insurance obligations are enforceable. A share of freehold normally sits alongside a lease for the individual flat. Ask a conveyancer to clarify the title before assuming a lender will accept it.
Not for every flat. A valuer and lender decide what external-wall evidence they require for a particular building. If a form is requested, ask the building owner or managing agent what assessment already exists. Our guide to a flat without an EWS1 explains the next questions.
Get the exact reason before reapplying. A valuation, lease term, building issue or personal affordability concern may call for different evidence or a different plan. Another lender is not guaranteed to reach a different decision.
Whether you are checking a property before making an offer or dealing with a question raised during a remortgage, we can help you work out which mortgage checks matter next.
Reviewed 26 October 2026. Lender criteria, valuations and property law can change, and legal arrangements differ across UK nations. Check current lender requirements and obtain advice on the actual title before relying on general examples.
