Why this matters.
A lender will happily offer you a £300,000 mortgage if you technically qualify. Whether that's a good idea is a separate question. We've seen people borrow right to their ceiling — then a job change, a new baby, or a rate rise puts them under real financial pressure.
Getting affordability right means the numbers work not just today, but when life does what life does.
What we actually look at.
- Your real income
Base salary, bonuses, commission, self-employment earnings, rental income. We use sustainable figures — not a peak year that won't repeat.
- All existing debt
Credit cards, car finance, student loans, personal loans, child maintenance. Every committed payment reduces what you can safely borrow.
- Essential outgoings
Council tax, utilities, childcare, insurance, food, transport — the non-negotiables that lenders sometimes underestimate in their calculations.
- Rate stress-testing
What happens at 6%? 7%? 8%? If the numbers only work at today's rate, you're exposed to something that's happened before and could happen again.
- Your life plans
Planning a family? Career change? Going part-time? Over a 25-year mortgage these things matter — and they should factor into what affordable actually means.
A worked example
Sarah, £35,000 salary (£2,400 take-home per month)
Committed expenses: £1,080/month. Car finance: £150/month.
Money left: £1,170/month.
What the bank's calculator says: "You can afford £1,200/month."
What we say: "£900/month is realistic — around £150,000 at current rates — with enough left over to absorb rate rises and life changes."
We won't tell you what you want to hear. If your numbers don't support the house you're looking at, we'll say so clearly. Better to hear that now than to be house-poor for a decade.
Book an affordability check →