Let’s be honest. A lot of lenders don’t underwrite applications, they over manage them. Cases get passed between systems, queries bounce back and forth, and before you know it, a straightforward application has turned into a paper chase.

Advisers know exactly what I’m talking about. You send in a perfectly good case, then spend the next week explaining the obvious to someone who can’t make a decision.

Every lender says they use common sense. It’s printed on websites, slide decks, even hold music. But when you’re processing hundreds of cases a week, all common sense really means is “as long as it fits the template.”

Real underwriting still relies on people. Someone actually reading a case. Thinking about it. Making a decision based on the full story, not just the screen. And here’s the difference that really matters in the market right now: when you need to talk about that decision, you should be able to. Direct needs to mean direct. Underwriters should be reachable by phone or email. No automated loops, no inbox black holes

We also know what’s at stake for advisors. A decline can be a client relationship killer, even when it’s no fault of the advisor. A ‘fast no’ usually saves everyone more time than a ‘slow no’ after weeks of conversation.

Time is money, literally, and delays don’t just waste time, they create problems. Unhappy estate agents. Nervous clients. Lost deals. Picking up work promptly isn’t a nice to have, it’s a basic expectation that too often gets missed.

It might sound simple, but in this market it’s anything but. Somewhere along the way, underwriting became an exercise in avoiding accountability. People forgot that good credit decisions come from people who understand risk, not from systems designed to eliminate it.

Data and models will always play their part, but they shouldn’t be a tick-box exercise to make a decision. Policies set our risk appetite and responsible lending limits: experienced underwriters then use their judgement to assess cases that may sit just outside them. If a case doesn’t fit but the story stacks up, there should be space to talk about it. If it doesn’t make sense, the explanation should be clear, not wrapped in jargon.

The messy cases aren’t going away. Self-employed clients with lumpy income. Contractors with short track records. Families with complex finances that don’t line up neatly. The easy thing is to decline. The right thing is to ask why. That’s where experience still matters.

Common sense isn’t nostalgic. It’s necessary. Automation can process data but it can’t judge the real-world picture. It can crunch numbers but it can’t understand people. And home-ownership, at its core, is about people, not algorithms.

In a market leaning heavily towards automation, the human element is still what sets underwriting apart. Being available, being accountable and being willing to talk through a case, that’s what advisors value.

And that’s what the industry needs more of.

Glenn Carroll  is head of credit at  April Mortgages