UK Mortgage Solutions for British Expats in Canada
Living abroad opens up exciting opportunities, but for UK expats in Canada, the mortgage landscape for UK property can feel daunting.
Whether you’re buying your first home, refinancing an existing property, or expanding your portfolio, understanding your options is essential.
At Kerr & Watson, we specialise in offering bespoke advice and solutions to help UK expats secure the perfect mortgage tailored to their unique needs.
Understanding Expat Mortgages
Expat mortgages are specifically designed for individuals residing outside the UK who wish to purchase or refinance property in the UK.
You may be well settled in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, must many expats still like to hold UK property, often requiring ex-pat mortgages.
These mortgages cater to a range of circumstances, including buying a family home to move back to or house UK based family in, securing a buy-to-let property, or refinancing an existing mortgage.
As a UK expat living in Canada, you may face additional challenges, such as:
- Limited lender options compared to UK residents.
- Foreign income considerations, including currency exchange and stability.
- Stricter eligibility criteria and documentation requirements.
Working with an experienced broker like Kerr & Watson can help make the process smoother, ensuring you have access to lenders who understand your circumstances.
Why Choose a Mortgage Broker?
Expat mortgages require expert insight to find your way around the large, complex market. Here’s how we can help you:
- Whole-of-Market Access: Unlike dealing with a single lender, we provide access to an extensive range of lenders, including high street banks, specialist lenders, and private banks. This can be needed when looking at the more niche scenarios, including mortgages for UK passport holders living in Canada.
- Tailored Advice: We take the time to understand your unique situation, such as income in foreign currencies or complex employment arrangements, before looking for a suitable lender.
- Simplified Process: Our team guides you through the paperwork, ensuring your application is accurate and complete before submitting a full application to the lender.
Find out Your Options
Challenges UK Expats Face in Securing Mortgages
While there are excellent options for expats, it’s important to understand potential challenges:
- Currency Considerations: Not all lenders offer mortgages to applicants that live overseas or are paid in any currency other than sterling. For foreign currencies, the lender often applies a haircut to the income, whish can be a deduction of 20% to 25% to allow for currency fluctuations. This can impact affordability, certainly if it’s a residential mortgage that you plan to take.
- Eligibility Criteria: Factors like how long you’ve lived abroad, your employment status, and the size of your deposit can influence your options. Some lenders also have criteria around who you work for, requiring the company to have a global footprint, or even excluding some self-employed people.
- Limited Lender Pool: Many mainstream UK lenders do not offer expat mortgages, reducing your choices. This means looking for either the high street lenders that are left or specialist lenders that have an appetite for lending to people based in Canada, or other parts of the world.
The good news is that for applicants that meet lender criteria, there are options available to UK passport holders living and working in Canada. Whether it be residential mortgages, buy to let or short term funding, with the many UK lenders available, it means there are some that can accommodate these applications, if they meet lender policy.
The challenges make expert advice invaluable. At Kerr & Watson, we specialise in mortgages and insurance, presenting you with the best options based on your circumstances.
Mortgage Options for UK Expats in Canada
Residential Mortgages
If you plan to return to the UK or want a property to live in on return, or for your family to live in whilst you remain in Canada, a residential mortgage is often the solution. Lenders typically look at your income and long-term financial stability to be able to agree the loan.
Buy-to-Let Mortgages
For expats in Canada, looking to invest in the UK property market to then rent to tenants, buy-to-let mortgages may offer you an opportunity. The rental income the property generates, plays a main part in affordability assessments, and some lenders allow you to supplement this with your personal income if you meet their policy. Buy to let Expat Mortgages.
Bridging Loans and Development Finance
Short-term financing options like bridging loans for expats and development finance can be the solutions expats involved in property development or property renovation projects. These products are typically suited for experienced investors and developers, providing quick access to funds. Professional advice should always be taken with these transactions.
Commercial Mortgages
British expats in Canada may also be able to access expat commercial mortgages if they are purchasing or refinancing property used for business purposes, such as offices, retail units, mixed-use buildings or investment properties. Commercial lending is assessed differently to residential borrowing, with lenders placing greater emphasis on the property itself, the tenant occupying it and the strength of the rental or business income.
How Kerr & Watson Can Help
Our goal is to simplify the mortgage process for UK expats in Canada. Here’s how we can assist:
- Comprehensive Assessment: We evaluate your financial situation, including income, assets, and property goals, before making a bespoke recommendation.
- Customised Solutions: Based on your profile, we identify lenders offering the most suitable terms for your needs.
- End-to-End Support: From initial consultation to finalising the mortgage, we’re with you every step of the way.
Conclusion
Securing a mortgage as a UK expat in Canada doesn’t have to be impossible.
With the right guidance and access to both high street and specialist lenders, you can widen your options to look for the most suitable lender.
At Kerr & Watson, we combine experience with personalised service, and access to the whole market to find the best mortgage solutions for you.
Contact Kerr & Watson today for a no-obligation consultation.
