Getting a mortgage on spouse visa

I've seen a few posts that aren't encouraging, but they're about 10 years old, so I thought I'd ask again... how do we get a mortgage ASAP when the primary income comes from the US expat in the UK? I'll have a healthy salary, and plenty to put down (proceeds from selling US house), but will I still have to wait to establish UK credit?

I was able to get a mortgage while still on my visas and before ILR.  I had been in the UK, working continuously for five years.  I know others who have managed to get mortgages earlier.  You'll have fewer lending options and will pay a much higher mortgage rate, unfortunately.

I would talk with a mortgage broker (NOT a bank) and have them only present lenders who will be willing to lend to you and at what rates.  If you are able to put down 40%, you shouldn't have to be working in the UK too long before you'll be able to qualify.

I just received ILR in September and we changed our mortgage product, saving £500 a month!  So while I thought our interest rate was reasonable while on a visa, it's apparent we were paying WAY too much interest.

But yes, you will have no credit when coming to the UK.  Imagine you are 18 all over again. 

A good friend of mine here bought a house and she said what she and her husband encountered was that, for her income to count, most places wanted her to be here for 2 years and have a 20% or more deposit.  She also had a mortgage broker that wasn't at a bank.  So it is possible.

About establishing credit, when my husband and I were setting up our joint account here, the banker told me that if I have had a bank account here for at least a year that's a good chunk of credit established.  I'm not sure how they measure it, but my student account that I still had going from 2013 apparently counts.

Thank you for this post - we are wondering the same thing. I'm currently in the UK on a spouse visa with FLR for a couple more years... I can only imagine how difficult it will be to acquire a mortgage when establishing a bank account was difficult enough - I ended up with one of those 'top-up debit cards' and do feel like I'm 18 again! haha ... Does applying for a credit card help build credit? Or will I just be denied for that?

Our additional complication is that I am currently self-employed. So I assume the likelihood of lenders considering my income is slim-to-none... Has anyone gone the route of solely relying on their spouse's income to successfully obtain a mortgage?

We got a mortgage while I was self-employed. We used London and Country mortgage brokers to find a lender who could work with us.

We got a mortgage while I was self-employed. We used London and Country mortgage brokers to find a lender who could work with us.

Thank you for sharing, Groover! I will look up that company. Cheers

I've seen a few posts that aren't encouraging, but they're about 10 years old, so I thought I'd ask again... how do we get a mortgage ASAP when the primary income comes from the US expat in the UK? I'll have a healthy salary, and plenty to put down (proceeds from selling US house), but will I still have to wait to establish UK credit?

You might end up having to pay higher interest rates but finding somebody who will loan to you. I know that I had to be establishing credit for at least 2 years before any decent mortgage company would touch me...That being said, make sure the US-half is establishing as much credit as possible as early on (names on bills, credit cards where possible, etc.). Not sure if it'll be different if you have a decent size down payment from selling a house in the US. I would suggest speaking to a financial adviser over here if you can for advice. I only say that because we used one who was able to help get us on the right track with what we needed and knew the right companies to go to for people in situations like ours.