JUST MORTGAGES NEWS
Just
of April. This
Ifyouareyettojointhe150+advisorsalreadyusing eConveyancer,orhaven’tusedtheminawhile,this5 minutevideoisforyou.FeaturingRichardMills(Regional PerformanceManager)andMaddieDay(BDM eConveyancer)thisisamustwatch!
Mostadvisersfocusheavilyonsourcing,structuring, andsecuringthemortgage(rightlyso)Buttheclient experiencedoesn’tendatoffer.Inmanycases,it’sthe conveyancingstagewheresatisfactioniswonorlost.
Delays,poorcommunication,andlackofvisibilitycan reflectbackonyouevenwhenthelegalworksits outsideyourcontrol.
That’sexactlythegapthisvideofromeConveyancer addresses. What the video will show you:
·Howacomparisonplatformworksinpractice
·Howtointegrateconveyancingintoyouradvicejourney
Howtoimproveclientoutcomes
Howtocreateadditionalrevenuestreams
View Video here
Smartr365 | Improvement Releases
Smartr365 continue to regularly update and improve functionality of the system – see below for their latest updates in this regard:
Mortgage News
Principality reduce minimum income and loan amounts for enhanced LTI’s
Asaresponsetobrokerfeedback,Principalityhavereducedtheir minimumincomeandminimumloanamountstomakeitmore possibleforclientstobeeligibleforenhancedLTIs.
What this means for you?
WhereweofferaLoantoIncome(LTI)ratioover4.49: Aminimumhouseholdincomeof£30,000isnowrequired,witha minimumloanamountof£150,000forclientsusingenhanced LoantoIncome(LTImultiples)
For5xLTIformedicalworkersand5.5xforfirst-timebuyers& newlyqualifiedprofessionalsapplications,pleasecontinueto contactthedeskteamwhocanrunanaffordabilitycalculationfor you.
Find out more about Principality income boosts: Income
ICYMI: The Renters Rights Act
From1May2026,theRenters’RightsActwillchangehow tenanciesworkinEngland.Somechangesarebigandmany landlordsmayfeelunsureaboutwhattodo.CoventryBuilding Society’srecentupdatewillhelpyougiveyourlandlordclients clearguidance,easeworriesandsignpostclientstouseful sources,sotheycanplanwithconfidence.
Here’s a reminder of some of the key changes:
· Nofaultevictionsareending.Landlordswillnolongerbe abletoevicttenantswithoutreason.
· AssuredShortholdTenancies(ASTs)areending.All tenancieswillmovetoAssuredPeriodicTenancies(APTs)with nofixedenddate.AnycurrentASTswillswitchautomatically on1May2026.
· Sellingrulesarechanging.Landlordsnowneedtogivefour months’noticetoendatenancyiftheyplantosellaproperty withouttenantsormovebackinthemselves.Ifthetenancy endsforeitherofthesereasons,thepropertycan’tbere-let for12months,evenifasalefallsthrough.
· Rentincreasesarelimited.Rentreviewclauseswillno longerapply.From1May,rentcanonlygouponceperyear.
· Landlordsmustgiveexistingtenantstheofficial governmentRenters’RightsActInformationSheetby31May 2026.Missingthedeadlinecouldleadtofinesofupto£7,000 forlandlords.
Help your landlord clients stay one
step ahead
Encourageclientstovisitthegovernmentwebsitetosee allthechanges.Ifneeded,suggesttheygettheirown legaladvice.Iftheyusealettingagent,theyshouldalso talktothemaboutwhatthenewrulesmean.
·Talkthroughexitplans.Thisiskeyforclientsnearing retirementorchangingtheirportfolio,asthenewrules mayaffecttiming.
·Reviewcashflowforecasts. Rentincreasesarenow morelimited,sobudgets mayneedarefresh.
Ashortconversation nowcanhelpyour clientsfeelprepared, informedand confidentasthenew rulescomein.
Skipton make their Delayed Start
Delayed Start, built different from before. Thankstoyourfeedback,SkiptonhavemadetheirDelayedStart mortgagesevenbetter.
Here’s what’s new:
Yourclientscannowchoosetodelayrepaymentsforupto1,2or3 months,dependingontheproductselected.Helpingthemtofreeup cash,flexibly.
YourclientcannowusethedelayedstartfeaturealongsideTrack Record.Weallknowthedifficultiesfacingrenters.Thisisjustanother waytohelpeasethoseupfrontcosts.
YourclientcannowusethedelayedstartfeaturealongsideShared Ownership.Again,Skiptonstartedofferingtheseproductstogether tofurtherremovethepressuresfacingyourclientsmakingtheirfirst move.
Interest will accrue from day one. Subject to eligibility and lending criteria Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasespeaktoyourSkiptonBDMorvisittheir website.
Protection & GI News
Zurich launch: Empathy Loss Support services for customers and advisers
WithimmediateeffectZurichare offeringEmpathyLossSupportto morethanthreemillionLife
ProtectioncustomersandtoeveryadviserregisteredwithZurich,at nocost.
What is
Empathy Loss Support?
EmpathyLossSupport™isdesignedtohelpwiththepracticaland emotionalchallengesthatcomeafterlosingalovedone.
The service includes:
Griefsupport–1:1humansupport,meditations,audiocontent andexpert-informedguides
DedicatedCareManagers–realpeopleprovidingpersonalised support,available24/7
PersonalisedCarePlan–astep-by-stepplantailoredtoeach family’suniquesituation
Practicalresources–guides,checklistsandtemplatescovering everythingfromimmediatearrangementstoestate administration
Emotionalwellbeingtools–breathingexercises,guided meditationsanddailyjournalingprompts
Familycollaboration–uptofivefriendsandfamilymemberscan coordinateandcompletetaskstogether
EmpathyLossSupportsetsanewstandardinprotectionsupport, goingbeyondthepayouttomeetfamilieswithcompassion,structure andexpertguidancewhentheyneeditmost.
ZuricharetheonlyUKinsurertoofferEmpathyLossSupportto customersandadvisers,atnocost.
Industry News
Thisweek’smortgagemarkethasbeen characterisedbyrenewedpricingcompetition alongsidetargetedlendercriteria enhancements,asfirmsrespondtoimproving swaprateconditionsandsustainedborrowerdemand.
Severalmainstreamlendersreducedfixedratesacrosskeyproducts, particularlywithinthetwo-andfive-yearsegments,asswaprates easedslightlycomparedtoearlierinthemonth.Thisledtoamodest butnotableincreaseinproductavailability,withlendersreintroducing sub-5%dealsinlowerLTVbands—anearlysignofreturningpricing competitionafteravolatileMarchperiod.
Alongsidepricingimprovements,lendershavecontinuedtorefine criteriatosupportborrowingcapacity.Anumberofhighstreetand buildingsocietylendersincreasedmaximumincomemultiples(upto c.4.75x–5xforhigherearners)andenhancedaffordabilitybytakinga moreflexibleapproachtocommittedexpenditureandhousehold incomeassessments.Therehasalsobeengreaterusabilityof automatedvaluationmodels(AVMs)tostreamlineremortgageand producttransfercases,improvingturnaroundtimesforbrokersand clients.
Inthebuy-to-letsector,lendersintroducedfurtherstressrate adjustmentsandrentalcalculationimprovements,helpingoffset higherinterestrateassumptionsandmaintainlandlordactivity.Some lendersalsoexpandedeligibilityforlimitedcompanystructures, reflectingcontinueddemandinthissegment.