Buying before UK residency or credit history is established.
Visa position, planned occupation, deposit origin and the lender’s jurisdiction appetite can be considered before the property search advances.
Read the foreign-national mortgage guide → International advisers · Relocation specialists · Global mobility professionals
Plan the UK property finance before the move.
Willow works alongside professionals supporting internationally mobile clients who need a UK home, investment property or refinance while their residency, income, assets or credit history sit across borders.
You remain responsible for relocation, immigration, tax, legal or wider advisory work. We assess the mortgage and property-finance requirement, identify credible lenders and manage the finance process within our professional remit.
An anonymous outline is enough for an initial conversation. Please do not send client names, passport details, visa documents, bank statements or sensitive information by ordinary email or WhatsApp.
Since 2008
Established specialist brokerage
Directly authorised
FCA reference 588422
Independent
Advice shaped around the client
Whole-of-market
Mainstream, specialist and private banks
UK & international
Complex circumstances supported
Why international advisers involve Willow
A move can be straightforward. The mortgage rarely is.
A client may want to secure a UK home before arrival, return after years abroad or buy while earning in another currency. Their circumstances may be entirely credible but fall outside automated lending rules.
Early coordination gives the client a realistic budget, evidence plan and lender route before exchange dates, school decisions or relocation deadlines become fixed.
A credible client has little or no UK borrowing history.
International credit evidence, professional status, assets and income may support routes that a conventional automated application would miss.
Buying without a visa or UK credit history →Income is strong, but it is earned outside sterling.
Lenders apply different currency, haircut and evidence rules. Multi-jurisdiction income needs to be presented to a lender equipped to assess it.
See how foreign income is assessed →The home, timing and lifestyle plan must work together.
A coordinated finance strategy can help the client decide whether to buy before moving, after arrival or through a temporary funding route.
Explore property finance for relocation →The client is coming home, but their finances remain overseas.
Employment changes, recent contracts, overseas income and a thin UK credit file can make pre-return planning especially valuable.
Plan a mortgage before returning to the UK →Income, assets and source of funds span jurisdictions.
Private banks and specialist lenders may interpret the same international profile differently. The structure must fit the client as well as the property.
See where cross-border applications get stuck → Know when to bring Willow in
The right time is before the client commits.
You do not need to identify the lender or diagnose the solution. These are signals that a specialist finance conversation should happen before a property, moving date or funding assumption becomes fixed.
“The client wants to buy before UK residency begins.”
“They have no established UK credit history.”
“Most or all income is paid in a foreign currency.”
“A returning expatriate has a new or short UK contract.”
“The deposit or source of wealth is held overseas.”
“The client’s income and assets span several jurisdictions.”
“The property search is moving faster than the mortgage planning.”
“The client is moving under a work or family visa.”
“US citizenship or tax status is affecting lender appetite.”
“A private bank wants assets transferred before lending.”
“The proposed purchase uses a company, trust or other structure.”
“A lender has declined because of residence or jurisdiction.”
If the objective, approximate amount, client profile, countries involved, timing and principal complication are known, Willow can usually establish whether a fuller assessment is worthwhile.
Discuss the outline anonymously One introduction · Clear professional boundaries
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The relocation plan and finance process stay coordinated.
Share the outline
Start with the objective, approximate amount, countries involved, residency or visa stage, income currency, timing and principal constraint. No client name is required.
Map the lender route
Willow considers mainstream, specialist and private-bank options, including likely evidence, source-of-funds, currency and jurisdiction requirements.
Introduce with permission
If the client wants to proceed, make a consented introduction. Willow then handles finance discussions and regulated mortgage advice within its remit.
Coordinate the move
Willow manages lender engagement, valuation, underwriting and progress, keeping the authorised professionals informed where their work intersects.
International adviser case desk
Is this worth an early finance conversation?
Choose the closest descriptions. This pathway is not a lending decision, an agreement in principle or personal mortgage, tax, legal, immigration or relocation advice.
International client outcomes
Real situations. Cross-border complications resolved.
These Willow case studies show how residency, overseas income, visa timing and international credit profiles can be handled when the case is placed with the right lender.
International family
Structuring a £1 Million UK Home Purchase
Complication: An international family needed a structure suited to its cross-border position.
Outcome: The purchase was planned around the family’s income, assets and UK objectives.
Read the case study → Offshore incomeAn Overseas Business Owner Buying in Scotland
Complication: Business ownership and offshore income required specialist underwriting.
Outcome: A lender able to assess the international income position supported the purchase.
Read the case study → American expatriateSecuring a Mortgage for a West London Purchase
Complication: US-connected income, residency and lender requirements narrowed the market.
Outcome: The case was matched with a lender comfortable with the client’s profile.
Read the case study → Returning to the UKA First-Time Buyer Returning From Overseas
Complication: The client was returning without a conventional recent UK history.
Outcome: Early lender selection helped translate the overseas position into a viable UK application.
Read the case study → Why Willow
International cases need judgement, access and careful execution.
Established since 2008, Willow is independent, directly authorised and whole-of-market, with access to mainstream lenders, specialist institutions and private banks for UK and international clients.
Turn an international profile into a realistic UK budget.
Willow tests lender appetite, evidence requirements and likely structure before the client commits to a property or moving date.
Complex does not mean unfinanceable.
Foreign income, overseas residence, international wealth and limited UK credit history can be assessed through specialist and private-bank routes.
The introducer remains the client’s trusted professional.
Willow handles mortgage and finance advice while immigration, tax, legal, relocation and FX questions remain with the appointed specialists.
One finance adviser manages the application.
The Willow adviser coordinates lender engagement, evidence, valuation, underwriting and completion, with appropriate consent-based updates.
Professional arrangements
Clear roles across every border.
An initial anonymous case discussion does not require a formal partnership. For ongoing introductions, Willow can establish written terms covering responsibilities, consent, information sharing, communication and any applicable remuneration.
Each professional remains responsible for advice within their own permissions and jurisdiction. Applicable remuneration and client disclosures are explained transparently.
Initial case conversations
- No obligation to establish a formal relationship.
- Anonymous scenarios can be discussed.
- No passports, visa documents or bank statements required.
- Willow explains whether a fuller assessment is worthwhile.
Ongoing introducer relationships
- Written introducer terms.
- Clear regulatory and professional boundaries.
- Agreed referral and client-consent process.
- Progress reporting where authorised.
- Transparent treatment of remuneration.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers before the first introduction.
Can I discuss a case without identifying the client?
Yes. Share the objective, approximate amount, countries involved, residency or visa stage, income currency, timing and principal complication. Do not include names, passport details, account numbers or documents.
Should the client speak to Willow before their visa or residency changes?
Often, yes. Lender appetite and evidence requirements may differ before and after a move. An early discussion can clarify what is possible now and what may improve after arrival.
Can Willow help when the client has no UK credit history?
Potentially. The available route depends on the full circumstances, but some lenders can assess international credit evidence, professional standing, income, assets and deposit strength.
Can foreign-currency or multi-jurisdiction income be used?
Potentially. Lenders vary significantly in accepted currencies, countries, income types and the reductions they apply for exchange-rate risk. Willow identifies lenders suited to the actual profile.
Will Willow work with the client’s immigration, tax and legal advisers?
Yes, with the client’s permission. Willow deals with the mortgage and finance work and coordinates factual requirements with the client’s other professionals, without advising outside its remit.
Does an international client always need a private bank?
No. The right route may be a mainstream lender, specialist lender or private bank. It depends on residence, income, assets, property, loan size and the client’s willingness to place assets.
Is Willow regulated for mortgage advice?
Willow Private Finance Ltd is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Some forms of commercial and buy-to-let finance are not regulated by the FCA.
Will the introducer receive progress updates?
Where the client has authorised this, Willow can provide appropriate updates and coordinate milestones that affect the relocation or wider advisory plan.
International adviser complex case desk
Bring us the complication—not a packaged application.
Tell us what the client needs to achieve, the approximate amount, the countries involved, the timing and why the case may not fit a standard UK lending route. That is enough for the first conversation.
Your information is handled in line with Willow’s privacy policy. Please do not send identification, passport or visa documents, bank statements or other sensitive material by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Lending is subject to status, valuation, lender criteria and full underwriting.
Call
Call a specialist adviser
+44 (0)20 7082 5175
Email
Email a high-level outline
No sensitive documents
WhatsApp
Message a non-sensitive outline
07824 634 483
Keep sensitive information secure. Do not send identification, passport or visa documents, bank statements or account information by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Willow will explain how to share documents securely.