Can Universal Credits be counted towards my mortgage affordability?
The Universal Credit system was introduced to replace several existing benefits and tax credits with a single payment. It is designed to provide financial support to individuals and families on low incomes or who are unemployed.
Under the Universal Credit system, eligible claimants receive a monthly payment that includes various components, such as a standard allowance, additional amounts for housing costs, children, and disabilities. The amount received is based on factors such as income, savings, and household circumstances.
Universal Credit aims to simplify the welfare system and make work more financially rewarding by gradually reducing benefits as individuals earn more from employment. It also encourages claimants to actively seek work or increase their working hours.
There are mortgage lenders who will consider using some or all of your Universal Credits towards your affordability, although there are several factors that will determine whether a mortgage lender will allow this income to form part of your affordability, such as:
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The age of children the benefits are received for, especially if they are aged 14 or older, as the benefits will stop long before a typical mortgage would end.
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Housing allowance will invariably cease once a property has been purchased. Therefore, most mortgage lenders will not consider this element of your Universal Credit.
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What proportion of your total income is made up from government benefits. If there is an over reliance on the universal credits, mortgage lenders may consider this higher-risk and decline to use this as part of your income.
To understand how much you can borrow, we’d recommend that you speak with us, as our team has a wealth of experience in arranging mortgages for clients that receive benefit income.
What evidence will I need?
You will need to provide the most recent 3 months Universal Credit statements, which you can obtain from the website linked below:
2. Click ‘Payments’
3. Click on the most recent statement
4. You can then select the option to ‘Print to PDF’ or ‘Save as PDF’
5. Repeat to complete the most recent 3 months.
A mortgage is a loan secured against your home or property. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other loan secured on it. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate most forms of buy to let mortgage.
What Our Clients Are Saying
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I've been working with Andrew and his team for a few years now. After recently completing a re-mortgage with Thameside I thought I'd leave a quick review to help others looking for help with the mortgage and to show my appreciation to everyone at Thameside. Their customer service is fantastic. Each time the process is completely stress free. The team are knowledge and always willing to go above and beyond to help make the process go smoothly. They take the time to explain the products they offer in a way that is easy to understand. They are profession and personable at the same time. I especially like the person touches the team do, like sending a thank you card on completion. I would highly recommend the services they offer. Keep up the good work Thameside.
Surj
This is the second time I've instructed Andrew Sheen at Thameside Mortgages to find and secure the right deal for me. On both occasions I've had complete confidence in his ability to work with my best interests at heart. So professional and personable, I hope to always work with him when moving house or remortgaging. Not to mention, he's also a really top bloke. Thank you Andrew and team. Let's do it all again in 5 years time.
Tom Denton
I could not recommend Thameside Mortgages More! Andrew is always fantastic to deal with, he is always extremely responsive, supportive and helpful! Thanks to the team at Thameside and Andrew for your constant support!
Larissa Tait
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I used Andrew and team 5 years ago and they were brilliant, I couldn't recommend them enough. Recently used them for my renewal and nothing was a problem and felt easy to complete. First class hassle free!!
Shaun Bradford
I was highly recommended Thameside Mortgages and they didn't disappoint! The process was stress free, professional and very efficient. Nothing was a problem. Everything was explained fully and no question was to much trouble to answer in a way that I could understand. I also took out insurances too which were highly competitive! Great company and service received.
Laura Biggs
Thameside Mortgages have been nothing but patient, informative and thorough. Andrew and Laura have been great, providing continued support and really taking the time to explain all the questions we sent their way. Their knowledge and expertise is apparent straightaway. Would highly recommend!
Rosie Woods
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Both Andrew and Laura were extremely helpful and responsive from start to finish. I highly recommend using Thameside Mortgages, we will definitely use them again.
Jake Whitford
My partner and I have used Andrew and his team several times now and will continue to do so, or recommend him, wherever possible. Whether it’s a mortgage, buildings, contents or life insurance, Andrew and his team, without fail, go above and beyond in delivering an exceptional service and client experience from start to finish. Andrew and his team respond speedily by email and/or make themselves available to speak directly. Their insight is incredibly valuable and offer kindness and patience too at a time when decisions can be more challenging. Additionally, Andrew has offered suitable products where other advisers have been unable. Thank you Thameside - you are absolutely our ‘go to’ and your service is genuinely appreciated at a time when it is needed!
Claire Shepherd
Huge thank you to Andrew, Laura & the team for all their help in sorting out my sons remortgage. In what was an extremely difficult time for us as a family they went above & beyond to make sure everything was dealt with quickly & efficiently, searching the market to obtain the best possible deal for him. Highly recommend their service & Andrews knowledge was an absolute godsend. Thank you all once again for the excellent service, we will certainly recommend you as often as possible 😊
Helen Clarke
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I really can’t recommend Thameside Mortgages enough. From start to finish, the process was very well explained and completely hassle free. They found me an amazing deal and their communication, responsiveness and support was second to none. A heartfelt thank you to Andrew, Laura and Lydia; keep up the brilliant work.
David Leece
Andrew & Laura were amazing at Thameside Mortgages. They were able to secure us a mortgage after we purchased the property, so only a few lenders were available to us. We were happy with the mortgage they recommended. The conveyancer wasn't the best, but Andrew & Laura pushed that side too. This is the second mortgage I've got through Thameside Mortgages and I will definitely use them again! Can't recommend them enough. Fantastic service, always available and happy to help. Thanks guys 🙂
paul sharp
We brought our first home nearly 2 years ago, we had Jason Harris as our advisor. I can’t put into words how much he helped from the very first call to present day with our remortgage and life insurance. Jason has been incredible from the get go, it felt as though we didn’t have to do anything really, as he found everything for us and gave multiple options so all we did was say yes or no. He broke everything down and explained things in such a simple way for us to not get too overwhelmed. He made everything feel stress free and simple, as well as finding us an incredible offer twice he has also found cheaper life insurance policies for us which is something I didn’t even think to do, he has saved us £100’s of pounds overall with our new offers. Really appreciate having him as our advisor and he’s a really helpful and lovely guy. Thank you Thameside & Thank you Jason.
chelsea melbourne
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Andrew and his team are great to work with! They are very knowledgeable and have been very helpful throughout the whole process!
Yafet Cole
Andrew, Laura and the Thameside team were fantastic and delivered a brilliant result for us. They were able to secure two competitive mortgages for our remortgage and new house purchase. These were secured in a matter of weeks and then Thameside guided us through a tricky exchange and completion process with minimal fuss and stress. Thank you Thameside for a providing a wonderful service and we’ll sure to be back again in the future!
William McCann
I genuinely can't thank Andrew and Laura enough for all of their hard graft through a very stressful process! The sleepless nights have been totally worth it!! I couldn't have done this with out your superb guidance. Professional, caring, excellent communication, explations to a solo first time buyer that doesn't always understand the jargon that comes with process. I was told by several people I didn't earn enough, needed a partner, better paid job to get on the property ladder. Andrew took this as a challenge and found me an excellent mortgage deal, twice!! I am so, so happy that I chose them to make this a lot easier. I genuinely can't recommend Thameside Mortgages enough. Forever grateful!
Lauren Cosgrove
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I am so glad that we worked with Thameside Mortgages for the purchasing of our first home. From initial enquiries, guidance whist making an offer on the house, to getting a mortgage offer & insurance options, we cannot fault their service! Jason always made us feel informed, in control and aware of all our options. 10/10 and we would definitely recommend to our friends and family! Thameside eliminated all the fears & stress we thought we would have, and made the experience easy and clear. Thank you very much!
Sainimili Kata
This is the 3rd time I have used Thameside Mortgages , I was so impressed with their professionalism and quick response. They helped me through every step of the way and continue this service after completion. It was such a pleasure throughout the whole process , I would definitely recommend this company to all my friends and family . Mrs Pamela Payne
Pamela Payne
Thameside Mortgages, Jason Senior Financial Adviser is the most proactive Adviser I have had the pleasure of working with. He helped me not only with the purchase of my Property 5 years ago but also with my Remortgage couple days ago, very versatile with a lot of knowledge and huge experience a really great, amazing person. My e-mail was answered frequently within a minute, he was quick on the document chase. Friendly professional, service, I definitely recommend it. And very decently. Thank you so much Jason.
stanislaw oleniacz
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Can not fault the service offered by Thameside Mortgages. Our personal advisor Jason was understanding accommodating and incredibly knowledgeable. He understood exactly what we needed and was in constant communication throughout our process and the after sales care we are currently receiving is impeccable. Congratulations Thameside Mortgages you have made our dream of owning a home come true!
Thomas Esam
Andrew has dealt with our mortgage and remortgage since we bought our first home 12 years ago. The service and advice is always spot on, hence why we always return without question. It's peace of mind knowing we can trust Thameside to take care of everything and give us the advice we need.
Rhys Jones
Andrew and Laura provided an exceptional service and my partner and I are extremely grateful for their services. They were both on hand to answer any questions or queries without hesitation and provided clear, concise and accurate information. As first time buyers and with one of us being self employed, it proved extremely difficult for us to get a mortgage (especially in a pandemic), however Laura and Andrew both went above and beyond to ensure we were looked after and for that we are extremely thankful.
Hazel McCarthy
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We have used Thameside Mortgages now for six of our remortgages over many years. Andrew and his team have been absolutely outstanding. They have always delivered on the best mortgage for us, based on our changing family circumstances, and also have brought ideas and advice that has been extremely helpful to guide us in making the best choice. What has been very impressive is that they are focused on a long-term relationship, not simply a quick commission, and have a few times taken us to mortgage offer stage, where we have backed out for various personal reasons, and they have not asked for any payment for much time and effort on their part getting that far in the process. I am reassured to know where to go for our mortgage advice!
J
After the purchase of our property we were in search of a good mortgage broker and our estate agent recommended Andrew. After speaking to Andrew we were confident we had found the right person to entrust finding us something as important as our first mortgage. We provided Andrew with all the necessary details and with his extensive experience and knowledge in this field, he was able to find us a very good mortgage deal. It was a pleasure working with Andrew and he was there to help and support us from the initial stages of the mortgage to the final completion day. When we needed to remortgage, Andrew helped us find another good deal, providing the same care and support as before. I would definitely recommend Andrew to anyone who is looking for an experienced and professional yet very approachable and friendly expert broker who will help guide them through the whole mortgage process. Thank you so much Andrew and Lydia for all your help recently.
Pam Mehroke
Thank you to Thameside Mortgages to Laura and Andrew, helping me get the mortgage, they were both very professional. The mortgage was smooth and efficient. I had difficulties with the solicitor, but Laura and Andrew have been there to support me throughout. I will definitely be in contact for a future mortgages. Happy to recommend to anyone.
chong brown
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I had heard great things about Thameside Mortgages before we used them to buy our new home, and they certainly did not disappoint! Andrew and his team were friendly, thorough and efficient from start to finish, which made what initially felt like a daunting process completely stress free. The team went above and beyond on multiple occasions, including to resolve a couple of unforeseen issues that we encountered with our mortgage application, proving that we couldn’t have done it without them! I will definitely be using them again for any future house purchase / remortgage.
Michaela Peck
Introduced to Mr Sheen in 2016 and using his services for me and my family since then. When I was looking for the second mortgage, I was unable to find him at his earlier employers, as he had meanwhile started Thameside Mortgages. I spent two days on internet, found him and contacted. I appreciate 7 respect his services, integrity & professionalism.
Rajen Saraswati
We used Thameside Mortgages for our recent mortgage application and cannot speak highly enough of Andrew and his team. They were professional and attentive from the outset and helped us through every step of the process. Andrew consistently communicated with us throughout to ensure the process was as easy and streamlined as possible, and we felt we received a completely personal service. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Thameside Mortgages for anyone considering a mortgage application in the future and will definitely utilise their service again.
Sarah Blanks
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Andrew and the team at Thameside Mortgages provided a fantastic service throughout our re-mortgage process. From detailing how it all works and what steps we have to take along the way with taking care of our best interests. Andrew was also able to sort out life insurance for me and my partner ensuring we are protected with what we seemed necessary. I very much look forward to using Thameside Mortgages in the future and would recommend anyone else to do so.
Jordan Smith
Thameside were amazing! Made the process completely stress free and felt informed throughout. I’ll go with them every time.
Ellie Blackall
Andrew and his team were so helpful, quick and professional and once we moved into our new home they sent us the most amazing welcome gift. I can highly recommend them to everyone. A massive thank you for making our mortgage process for our first home so smooth and easy!
Whitney Osman