The Intermediary – January 2026 - Flipbook - Page 28
S TAT E O F T H E N AT I O N
Feature
Charlotte Skinner
Managing director, The Surrey Mortgage
Company, Epsom, Surrey
I have been trading for 11
years and 2025 was our
best year yet. I put that
down to a combination of
factors. Firstly, we’ve
developed a strong
network over the past
decade and most of our
business comes from
referrals. With rates easing over the past few
months, we also feel many buyers have decided
now is the right time to move forward rather
than wait for a return to pre-2022 levels.
Buyers are also more informed than ever,
which is great to see, although it has meant
increased ongoing work as rates change and
clients quite rightly expect us to keep searching
for the best deal. This has been our biggest
challenge. We have taken a proactive approach
and continually monitor the market for our
clients, and while this has come with an
added administrative workload, we’ve invested
heavily in our systems and are expanding our
administration and adviser team this month.
This means we can manage the extra demand
efficiently and continue to focus on delivering
the best outcomes for our clients. I work with
a large number of high-net-worth clients and
while the new mansion tax caused some initial
jitters when it was announced, I don’t think it
will impact the housing market as much as some
people fear. Buyers will simply start to factor it
process for the client and the broker easier.
Last year, one of our biggest challenges was
affordability. It’s always something that you have
to wrangle with, but it felt nigh impossible for
some clients, especially self-employed, to get
anywhere near the loan amounts that they were
looking for.
For similar reasons, building buy-to- let
portfolios was also a challenge because you
couldn’t raise as much on the existing portfolio
due to the constraints on the rental income
calculations.
It’s a worry for the rental market because
landlords are getting squeezed. The private rental
sector is so important to the housing market
and smaller landlords are getting pushed into
looking at other areas of making money. What
we’re finding going into 2026 is that putting a
portfolio into a limited company is better way
forward.
Having said that, several lenders recently said
they had their biggest year for first-time buyers in
2025. So perhaps landlords leaving the market is
opening the door for first-time buyers.
Alongside AI, our main drive for 2026 is to
make sure that every client is spoken to about
protection. We are building a new team of
protection only advisers and we want all clients
to not only get the house that they’re looking for,
but make sure it’s protected for any future events.
James Carter
Principal
Independent James
Surrey
into their purchasing decisions. Affordability
For Independent James,
improved significantly in 2025 following changes
the past year has
to stress testing rules and the move towards
reinforced the importance
higher LTIs from lenders. If rates continue to fall
of supporting clients
and lenders continue to ease their criteria, this
through an increasingly
should continue to improve in 2026.
complex but opportunityrich market. Working with
Rebecca Wilkins
a diverse client base of
business owners, sole
Managing director
Cutting Edge Mortgages
traders and those in the entertainment industry
gives us a unique insight into how employment
Northumberland
patterns and income structures continue to
I’m a big advocate for
innovation and we’re
investing significantly in
The Intermediary | January 2026
While many of these clients have complex
finances, their needs are often rooted in
AI to make things faster
straightforward residential borrowing, where
and smoother for our
timing, preparation and clear guidance make all
brokers. AI won’t ever
the difference.
replace advice, but we do
26
evolve.
The focus for us has always been on the
need to use the tools
client experience. As technology becomes
available to make the
more embedded in the advice process, we are
