L&C is a mortgage broker and adviser that looks at nearly the full UK mortgage market to help you find the best rates available to you. You don’t have to use a broker when you’re getting a mortgage, but checking 90+ banks and building societies individually would take a long time. Brokers can also sometimes access exclusive deals or deals from lenders that “only work with intermediaries”.
Some of the biggest, best-known and trusted brokers in the UK are Habito, Mojo and L&C. We’ll unpack what can set a good mortgage broker apart in this review. There are also numerous smaller brokers, including one-man bands. Those can be good if you’re after a local, personal experience. But if you’re after a slick online experience as well as expert human advice, companies like L&C are worth trying out.
L&C is certainly thorough (whether you like it or not!). It’s great that you can speak to real human experts, more or less when it suits you. Not all brokers man their phones at the weekends, and for most people buying a house, weekends are key. L&C really will guide you through the whole process carefully, and with its huge panel you can feel confident you’ve done your homework (or it’s been done for you) and checked the market to find a very competitive rate.
L&C is all about getting on the phone and talking things through. For a more online (but still human) experience, go for Habito.
All in all, we thought L&C’s advice was clear, comprehensive and practical. It’s fee-free and takes the time to understand your unique circumstances (doing a good job of serving those with limited or damaged credit). Would recommend!
L&C is based in Bath and now also has offices in London and Newcastle, but you don’t visit those – everything is online and over the phone.
You’ll start by creating an account on the site, which involves working through a 5-minute form covering your situation and what you’re looking for. After that you’ll book a phone call where your dedicated adviser will gather more specific details. That call lasts about 45 minutes and there’s ample opportunity to ask any questions you have. Typically during this call you’ll get an idea of how much you can borrow and what the best rates are.
Settling on a particular deal from a particular lender requires a 10-minute “recommendation call”, but from then on the case management team will take over. You can still speak to your dedicated adviser if you want to though. You can also log into your online account whenever you want to track how your mortgage is progressing.
L&C offers personalised customer service where customers work with the same expert mortgage adviser from start to finish. That has to happen during phone opening hours, but that’s perhaps the price of an expert human service. L&C’s phone lines are open more hours than other big UK brokers’. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, remortgaging, buying to let, or simply buying a new home, L&C can offer advice and assistance to find the best mortgage deal for you.
L&C works with over 90 different mortgage lenders, giving you a great opportunity to compare different mortgage deals in the market. The lenders that L&C works with include:
One notable absence from L&C’s panel of lenders is Lloyds.
A mortgage broker will do all of the hard work and research in comparing mortgages and lenders based on your needs and eligibility. Your broker will also negotiate with your chosen lender on your behalf to make sure you are getting the right deal for you.
L&C says it will offer customers:
If you approach just one or two lenders you are not going to get an accurate picture of all the loans available in the UK. This is because if you visit only one bank it may not have a mortgage product that will meet your needs, but it’s not necessarily going to tell you to see another lender who does have the right loan. Instead you might end up being told the loans on offer are the ones which are right for you.
When you work with a mortgage broker it is their job to compare lenders and different loans to find the one that will be right for you. They will also read and explain all of the fine print which allows you to accurately compare the cost of each loan.
L&C receives a payment from the lender when a mortgage completes. The difference is that unlike other mortgage brokers, they do not charge customers a fee on top of this.
They also offer a couple of optional services such as conveyancing and life cover. If you choose to use these, you’ll pay a fee to the conveyancer and L&C will receive an introductory fee from them. With life cover, L&C receive a commission payment from the cover provider.
The company makes more money the more mortgage applications that are approved, as these fees come directly as payment from the lender per sale.
L&C has generally fared well in Finder’s customer In our independent customer satisfaction awards – winning in 2020 and in the 2023 round receiving 4.5 out of 5 stars with 88% of users saying they would recommend the service.
Customers surveyed praised the service’s ease of use and cost. Customers also praised the friendly and helpful service, though some reported a slow application process. One commented: “Excellent help and supportive throughout the whole process”.
Call 0808 292 2152 for free 7 days a week, or arrange for a call back.
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