Insights

Speed and certainty locked in for Scotland

Mortgages 3 min read 19/06/2025

Our underwriting pledge in Scotland means Aldermore can give you and your clients that all-important certainty of a mortgage offer quicker than ever, says Matt McCullough, head of sales and development at Aldermore.

We know how important the speed of processing is when dealing with Scottish purchases. Having that certainty means your client can move through the process to conclusion of missives, and you can no longer worry about chasing cases for progress.

Delays, long timeframes, and requests for further information can increase your workload or, worse, result in your client losing the property.

That’s why we’ve introduced a pledge to the Scottish market: Aldermore will underwrite fully packaged cases for Scottish residential purchases within two working days.

You and your client get an answer as quickly as possible, with no fuss and no hold-ups.

 

What’s the deal?

Once fully packaged, we are separating out all properties being purchased in Scotland to ensure these are always top of our priority.

Once a fully packaged application is received, the clock starts ticking.

We’ll request the transcript of the Home Report on day one (with no charge to your client), and in the meantime, we’ll get on with underwriting the case.

A fully packaged case simply means all fields have been filled in correctly and all necessary documentation has been uploaded to our system, including (but not limited to):

  • proof of income
  • proof of deposit
  • direct debit mandate
  • application declaration.
Two day underwrite for fully packaged applications.

We also guarantee the rate and criteria during the DIP validity period (which will be clearly highlighted). This gives you time to ensure you can gather all the necessary information before submission. We don’t want you to feel rushed or submit an incomplete case to beat the deadline, where a product is withdrawn.

 

Why are we offering this?

The Scottish market works differently from the rest of the UK, and we think this should be reflected in our processes.

Once an offer has been accepted, the seller sets a deadline for conclusion of missives (similar to exchange of contracts), which is often as short as 10 days.

 

two women at a laptop

What’s so different?

Here’s a quick reminder of the purchase process in Scotland for our broker partners in England who deal with occasional purchases north of the border.

  • Offers are submitted in writing by a solicitor, where buyers can offer over the asking price, in a blind bid process, by a specified closing date. 
  • The seller’s Home Report is available to the buyer upfront and contains a survey, valuation and EPC, as well as any details of maintenance work done to the property. When the mortgage is applied for, the lender requests a transcript of the Home Report. At Aldermore we request this for first underwrite to help speed up the process. 
  • Once an offer is accepted by the seller, the process quickly moves to the conclusion of missives, with a deadline set by the seller. The mortgage offer is needed before this date. The conclusion of missives forms a binding contract, so it’s rare for either party to pull out at this stage, giving everyone more certainty.

What should brokers do?

You don’t need to do anything differently. Just be aware that we only underwrite fully packaged cases, so there is no benefit to submitting an incomplete application. Your rate and criteria are already locked in for the DIP validity period, so you have time to gather everything you need.

This will help us to help you, by underwriting the case within two working days.

Step 1  - Submit the DIP to lock in the rate and criteria for the DIP validity period

Step 2 -  Refer to our packaging guideline and convert your DIP to application once your case is fully packaged.

Step 3 - We will underwrite it within two working days.

Step 4 - Your offer is issued (if applicable) once all documents are assessed and available instantly online.

We are moving faster in Scotland, so your client can too.

 

Let’s make Scottish cases simpler, faster, and more certain.

Whether you're looking to learn more about our Scottish broker proposition, explore our products and rates, or connect with Grant, our dedicated Business Development Manager for Scotland, we're here to support you to make more happen for your clients.

Learn more

IF YOUR CLIENT FAILS TO KEEP UP PAYMENTS ON THEIR MORTGAGE THEIR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED.