The firms say their new ‘property lending check’ allows homebuyers “for the first time to receive real-time information about the likelihood of getting a mortgage on a home before a viewing and well ahead of the offer stage”.

Nationwide will review typical property risks on a listing — such as flooding, or, short lease lengths — to check if they would be likely to lend on the property.

Usually, when a customer applies for a mortgage in principle, they find out how much they would likely be able to borrow from a lender — but not whether the specific home they want to view is likely to be eligible for a home loan.

The launch comes as part of Rightmove’s mission to digitise more of the UK property market and speed up moving home, which on average takes over five months to complete a home sale.

The new ‘property lending check’ feature is part of Rightmove’s mortgage in principle service, backed by Nationwide, which was first launched in 2022.

John Charcol mortgage technical manager Nicholas Mendes says: “This new property lending check is a really smart move.

“One of the biggest frustrations for buyers is discovering, often after they’ve found their dream property and submitted an application, that it isn’t eligible for a mortgage with that particular lender. While a broker can do their utmost to prevent this from happening, there are times when factors are out of their control.

“For example, how a surveyor assesses a property or lender-specific criteria that only come to light during internal underwriting processes.

“Some issues, like a short lease or a known flood risk, are slightly easier to identify early on. But being able to get a clearer sense of a property’s mortgage eligibility before even booking a viewing could save people a lot of time and stress.”

Rightmove head of mortgages Matt Smith adds: “Our ambition is to build digital solutions that make the home-buying process more efficient, giving buyers a better understanding of their affordability much earlier.

“This is a first rollout phase, and we’ll be making lots of enhancements to the property lending check over the coming months.”

Nationwide director of home Henry Jordan (picture) says: “By working closely with Rightmove, we’ve already been able to introduce the successful mortgage in principle tool.

“However, we know that people who find a property listing they like are keen to know whether they’ll be able to get a mortgage on it.

“So, the launch of the property lending check feature is the natural next step.”