What should a UK mortgage broker website show before a first-time buyer or remortgager enquires?

Why is a mortgage enquiry different from an ordinary local-service lead?

Someone choosing a mortgage broker is not simply asking whether the business serves their town. They are deciding whether to discuss income, deposit, credit history, existing borrowing and a home purchase with that firm. Before they enquire, they need to know that the business is genuine, that it handles their situation and that the first conversation will not create an unexpected fee or credit search.

That makes the website part trust check, part triage desk and part regulated communication. The FCA says mortgage brokers carrying on regulated activities must either be authorised by it or act as an appointed representative of a firm with the relevant permissions. The FCA's Firm Checker lets consumers check whether a firm is authorised and has permission for the service they need. A logo that says “FCA regulated” without the exact legal entity, reference number and a checkable route leaves the most important question unanswered.

What should be visible on the first mobile screen?

• The trading name and real service area, plus whether meetings are in person, by phone, by video or a mixture.
• The main customer routes: first-time buyer, home mover, remortgage, buy-to-let, self-employed or contractor, and later-life lending only where genuinely advised on.
• One primary action such as “Book an initial mortgage call”, with a telephone alternative and the hours it is answered.
• The firm's authorisation or appointed-representative status in the wording approved for that business, with its firm reference number and a link to the FCA record.
• A plain statement that the first conversation is an initial discussion, not a mortgage offer or guarantee.
• A clear route for existing clients who need a case update, so progress calls do not compete with new enquiries.

How should authorisation and appointed-representative status be shown?

The exact legal relationship matters. An authorised firm and an appointed representative should not use the same sentence. GEN 4 Annex 1 of the FCA Handbook gives the statutory disclosure for a UK authorised firm and a separate formulation for an appointed representative that names its principal. The website should use the wording the firm's compliance owner or principal has approved, not a shortened version invented for the footer.

• Use the registered legal entity and trading name consistently; do not link a trading style to an unrelated register entry.
• State the firm reference number and link to the matching FCA Firm Checker or Financial Services Register record.
• If the broker is an appointed representative, name the principal firm clearly and describe the relationship accurately.
• Say which regulated services the firm actually has permission to provide; authorisation for one activity is not permission for every financial product.
• Keep badges, network names and memberships current, and remove them promptly if the relationship changes.
• Do not imply that FCA authorisation means the regulator recommends the firm or guarantees that a particular mortgage is suitable.

What does “whole of market” need to explain?

Customers use “whole of market”, “independent” and “all lenders” as if they mean the same thing. They do not always. FCA Handbook MCOB 4.4A requires a firm to disclose whether there are limitations in the range of products it offers and what those limitations are. It also says that if the firm does not consider deals available directly from lenders, it must tell the customer as part of that disclosure.

The website does not replace the firm's required initial disclosure, but it should not create a broader impression than that document later corrects. Describe the service in the language the approved disclosure uses: for example, a broad range of lenders, a limited panel, a single lender, or a specialist market. If direct-only deals are outside the search, say so plainly. MoneyHelper also cautions that a broker described as whole of market might not cover everything, especially where a customer needs a particular type of mortgage.

How should broker fees and lender commission appear?

“Free initial consultation” answers only what happens at the first call. It does not explain what the advice or application service costs. Under MCOB 4.4A, the required information about remuneration includes fees charged to the customer, when they are payable and whether they are refundable, whether the firm receives commission from a lender or another third party, and whether commission is offset against customer fees.

Where possible, the rule expects customer fees to be expressed as a specific cash sum; it also covers the methods to use when that is not possible. A useful website therefore gives the actual fee structure approved for the firm rather than “fees may apply”. It can show a fixed fee, a range or the calculation basis, but must explain what causes the number to change and at which milestone payment is due. The formal disclosure still needs to be delivered at the required time and in the required form.

• Whether the initial conversation is free and exactly where chargeable work begins.
• The broker fee or calculation basis, including any different route for complex cases, buy-to-let or later-life lending.
• When the fee is payable: on engagement, recommendation, application, offer, completion or in stages.
• Whether any part can be refunded, and in which circumstances.
• That the broker may receive commission from the lender, using the firm's approved wording.
• What is included after completion, such as a future rate review, and whether that later service carries another fee.

Which customer journeys deserve their own page?

A page called “Mortgages” forces every visitor to decode the service for themselves. Separate journeys work better because the decision, documents and urgency differ. They also let the broker state exclusions honestly instead of attracting cases the firm cannot place.

• First-time buyers: deposit, gifted deposit, agreement in principle, expected buying costs, viewing and offer stage, and what advice happens before an application.
• Home movers: sale and purchase position, porting an existing deal, borrowing more, chain timing and the need to compare a port with a new mortgage.
• Remortgagers: current lender, fixed-rate end date, early repayment charge, property value, outstanding balance, product transfer and when to start reviewing.
• Self-employed applicants and company directors: trading history, accounts, tax calculations, salary and dividends, retained profit, recent incorporation and accountant details.
• Contractors and applicants with variable income: contract type, day rate, remaining term, track record, overtime, bonuses or commission.
• Buy-to-let and consumer buy-to-let: new purchase, portfolio landlord, limited company, let-to-buy or accidental landlord, with the regulatory position described carefully because ordinary buy-to-let and commercial lending are generally not FCA-regulated while consumer buy-to-let is supervised under a separate framework.
• Later-life lending, shared ownership, adverse credit or protection advice only when the firm has the relevant permissions, competence and lender access.

What should a remortgage page ask first?

A remortgage enquiry is driven by a date. If the fixed or discounted period ends soon, the broker needs enough information to decide when the review should start and whether the customer is comparing a new lender with a product transfer from the current one. The page should not promise savings before the broker has seen the balance, rate, fees, early repayment charge, loan-to-value and circumstances.

• Current lender and the month and year the present deal ends.
• Approximate mortgage balance, remaining term and estimated property value.
• Whether the customer wants to change the term, repayment type or amount borrowed.
• Any planned additional borrowing and its purpose.
• Changes since the last application: employment, income, household, credit commitments or property use.
• Whether the customer has already received a product-transfer offer from the existing lender.

What belongs in the first enquiry form?

The first form should route the case, not perform a full mortgage fact-find. A long form asking for bank statements, National Insurance numbers, full credit histories and detailed vulnerability information before the customer has spoken to anyone creates unnecessary risk and abandonment. Ask enough to assign the right adviser and prepare the call; collect evidence later through the firm's approved secure process.

• Name, preferred contact method, telephone, email and best time to speak.
• Journey type: first purchase, moving home, remortgage, buy-to-let or not sure.
• Property postcode or target area, approximate purchase price or property value, deposit or equity and borrowing need.
• Employment category at a high level: employed, self-employed, director, contractor, retired or other.
• Timing: researching, viewing, offer accepted, deal ending within a stated month, or urgent deadline.
• A short free-text question with a warning not to send bank details, passwords or identity documents.
• A clear privacy explanation and a separate, unbundled choice for marketing if the firm wants to send it.

How should an agreement in principle be explained?

First-time buyers often arrive asking for an “AIP”, “DIP” or “mortgage in principle”. Explain that these terms refer to an estimate from a lender of what it might be willing to lend based on initial information; it is not a mortgage offer. MoneyHelper notes that lender processes vary and an agreement in principle may involve either a soft or a hard credit check. The site should say that the broker will explain which check is proposed before it happens, rather than claiming that every AIP leaves no credit-file footprint.

Set out what a buyer should prepare for the conversation: income and employment details, regular commitments, deposit amount and source, address history, target price and any known credit issues. Do not invite those documents through an ordinary contact form. A simple preparation checklist produces a better first call without turning the marketing site into a document portal.

How do local visibility and specialist cases work together?

A local broker can serve two useful search intents at once: a person who wants an adviser nearby and a person with a specific borrowing situation. The homepage should state the real office or service area and meeting options. Supporting pages can then cover genuine expertise such as first-time buyers in the area, self-employed applicants or remortgages approaching expiry. Location pages should contain real office, adviser and service evidence, not cloned text with a town name swapped in.

• Keep the business name, address, telephone and website consistent with the Google Business Profile and FCA record.
• Show named advisers and their actual roles, qualifications and locations.
• Explain whether clients can meet at an office, at home where offered, by telephone or by video.
• Use local property examples only as general explanations, never as invented client outcomes or approval claims.
• Publish reviews only with permission and in a way compliance has approved; do not imply that one result is typical for every borrower.

Which wording creates avoidable compliance risk?

MCOB 3A requires mortgage communications and financial promotions within its scope to be fair, clear and not misleading. It specifically says an MCD mortgage promotion must not create false expectations about the availability or cost of credit. If a promotion includes an interest rate or figures relating to the cost of credit, further standard information can be required. Product rates and “from” payments are therefore not casual blog content: they need the firm's compliance process, the necessary representative information and prompt removal when stale.

• Avoid “guaranteed approval”, “everyone accepted”, “best rate” and “exclusive deal” unless the precise claim is lawful, current and substantiated.
• Do not call a service independent or whole of market more broadly than the firm's approved disclosure permits.
• Do not blur regulated residential mortgages, consumer buy-to-let, ordinary buy-to-let and commercial finance.
• Never display an example rate, payment or saving without checking which representative information and warnings the promotion requires.
• Keep risk wording legible and close to the claim it qualifies; a tiny generic footer does not repair a misleading headline.
• Route every substantive page and campaign through the authorised firm's or principal's financial-promotion approval process.

How would LESTO build a mortgage broker website?

LESTO would build the site around verifiable trust and clean routing. The first screen would show the real firm, service area, meeting options and an approved status line. Separate pages would lead first-time buyers, movers, remortgagers and other genuinely supported cases to the right initial call. The fees, remuneration basis, market scope and direct-deal position would match the firm's approved disclosure, while the enquiry form would stay short and send document collection to the firm's secure process.

You send LESTO the current website, FCA record, approved disclosure and footer wording, actual service range, fee structure, adviser details, meeting options and compliance sign-off process. LESTO creates the first draft free within 24 hours. If it fits, the done-for-you website costs 190 euros per month, with no setup fee and monthly cancellation. Later approved changes can be sent by WhatsApp or email.

The takeaway

A mortgage broker website should answer the questions a careful customer asks before revealing financial details: is this the right firm, can I verify it, does it cover my situation, how wide is its search, what will I pay and what happens next? Put those answers before the lead form. Separate first-time-buyer and remortgage journeys, state scope and remuneration plainly, keep product claims inside the compliance process, and collect documents only through an approved secure route. That produces fewer vague leads and more prepared first conversations.