While a broker’s initial contact with a lender may result from sourcing a special rate or preferential criteria, I believe what you really want for both your client and yourself should come next.
At LendInvest, we always look to offer your clients the best rates and promotions, but we also work to make your job simpler and quicker, and the overall process more enjoyable. This is why our greatest focus is on improving the process, from that initial contact from your BDM to getting your client their next buy-to-let mortgage.
Get your deals faster
When working with brokers through the application process, I’ve seen first hand the difference small improvements can make, often with a simple bit of technology. But I often find the most efficient way to move a case forward quickly is with good packaging, which is why we put the relationship between BDM and case manager at the heart of our approach, helping brokers and clients get everything they need at the start, rather than go back and forth. A fully packaged application enables cases to begin immediately with searches and valuations.
From a technology perspective, another way to speed up your case is with Open Banking, a secure tool we’ve been using to aid the underwriting process by having the underwriter see the relevant accounts and make decisions from there, rather than ask you to produce documentation and have to keep going back to find the right information.
This is an approach we will continue to bang the drum about. We have seen its impact on your clients’ speed to offer and your paper burden. With the use of Open Banking, a significant number of cases move from application to offer in under 10 days. In a new, paperless and contact-free world, any step to securely digitise the process is one we welcome.
Gaining a better insight into your needs has been key to this drive to make your job easier in the application process. Whether this is just a guide to our packaging requirements so we can start your cases quickly, Onfido for digital ID verification or using e-signatures, we aim to simplify the journey.
I understand that improving any well-trod process – often with new tools – comes with concerns, which is why each tool we use fits neatly within the application process. Quick steps to make your job simpler and give your clients peace of mind throughout are what help both our team and you.
BTL mortgages are as much about conversation as process. You need to be able to speak to your BDM, underwriter or case manager whenever you wish, to iron out complexities or check on progress. That’s why, regardless of the technological improvements we make to the application process, we put people front and centre, with local BDMs in every region, a salesdesk for urgent questions and direct access to your underwriters and case managers throughout.
Supporting important clients
The growth of professional landlords has been a great thing for the sector, and is why we’ve made supporting them to maintain and grow their portfolios a key focus. Making it easier to incorporate portfolios into limited companies, not having a limit on the background portfolio and newly introduced appetite statements are some of the ways we help your most important clients keep growing their businesses. This is where our personal and technological approaches best join up, to give your experienced clients what they need: quick applications and a tailored approach.
Rates and offers come and go, appetite for high LTVs changes, but it is by improving and simplifying the processes, and building relationships with experienced team members, that we can show brokers the real value of lenders.
