A home for your return. A place for family. An investment you manage from abroad. Each brings a different set of questions when your earnings, savings or business are outside the UK.
Willow works through those questions with you: where the deposit will come from, how overseas earnings can be evidenced, who will own and occupy the property, and what changes before completion. That gives us the basis for arranging the finance.
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A buyer staying overseas faces different questions from someone returning to a UK job. Select the situation nearest yours for guidance on the decisions and evidence involved.
You may be buying for your return, for family or for visits while you remain abroad. We establish the intended use, where the deposit is held and how the borrowing will be serviced from overseas before approaching lenders.
A salary paid in dollars, savings held in several accounts or a property intended for a family member each needs a clear explanation. Identifying these details early helps us establish which lenders can assess the case and what they will need to see.
Lender appetite varies by country, regulatory permissions, sanctions exposure and tax residence.
Lenders may accept the same currency but treat salary, bonus, contracts, business profits and allowances differently.
Time overseas may leave a limited UK credit history. We assess what evidence is available across your income, banking, assets and liabilities, then identify lenders able to consider that profile.
Residential occupation, second-home use, family occupation and buy-to-let each lead to different lender and regulatory routes.
This tool illustrates a repayment mortgage and a selected reduction to converted overseas income. It is not an affordability decision, quotation, tax calculation or recommendation.
The haircut is illustrative only. Lenders use their own currency, affordability, tax, expenditure and stress-testing methods. As a mortgage is secured against your home or property, it could be repossessed if repayments are not maintained.
Request a cross-border assessmentFilter published international-finance cases by the issue that matters. Each example explains what shaped the lender route. Past outcomes do not guarantee future results.
Showing all 12 international scenarios
Global income, family occupation and the wider asset position shaped the lending structure.
Read the client outcomeOverseas earnings and a thin UK credit history required a lender comfortable with the full profile.
Read the client outcomeRental coverage, overseas residence and the absence of UK earnings determined the route.
Read the client outcomeOffshore company income and the property location required specialist underwriting.
Read the client outcomeThe timing of the move, employment and US financial footprint were assessed together.
Read the client outcomeUS income, UK property choice and cross-border documentation informed lender selection.
Read the client outcomeThe gifted funds, source-of-wealth evidence and borrower affordability needed coordinating.
Read the client outcomeUK rent, French residence and the purpose of released capital all affected the remortgage.
Read the client outcomeIntended use, dollar income and high-value underwriting were considered as one case.
Read the client outcomeExisting leverage, rental cover and the next acquisition were modelled together.
Read the client outcomeJurisdiction, property type and completion timing narrowed the suitable lenders.
Read the client outcomeNon-standard overseas income was evidenced for a lender able to assess its durability.
Read the client outcomeWe establish the financing approach, organise the evidence needed from abroad and coordinate the UK application. You have a point of contact as documents, lender questions and the property transaction move forward.
Confirm your current residence, the property’s intended use and any move or employment change ahead. Trace the proposed deposit and identify which overseas earnings and assets may be relevant. This initial assessment is free, with no obligation.
Work through the amount to borrow, funds to retain overseas and timing of the application. Compare suitable mortgage or other lending options, including evidence requirements, costs and conditions. Explain the recommendation and every cost before you decide whether to proceed.
Bring together income records, tax documents, bank statements and the source-of-funds explanation required by the lender. Coordinate any certification or translation requirements, the valuation and underwriting responses.
Track the lender’s outstanding conditions with your solicitor and keep you informed from overseas. Revisit any changes in employment, residence or timing that arise before the purchase or refinance completes.
There is no charge for the initial conversation, assessment or presentation of appropriate solutions. Our fee only becomes payable if you choose to proceed, after all costs have been made clear.
Your accountant may be considering when your residence changes. Your solicitor may be reviewing who should own the property. Your wealth adviser may need to know which investments you intend to retain. Those decisions can affect how and when the purchase is funded.
With your authority, we bring their input into the lending discussion early: the proposed ownership, the source of the deposit, access to overseas funds and the timetable. Each adviser remains responsible for their specialist advice; Willow coordinates the borrowing.
Start an expat assessmentRead about the points that often need closer attention when borrowing from abroad: converting income, verifying overseas records and presenting assets held across jurisdictions.
Income conversion, deposit timing and lender haircuts can all affect the available route.
Read the briefing Digital verificationNew processes may reduce friction, but source-of-funds and identity checks remain central.
Read the briefing Cross-border wealthResidence, entities, assets and banking relationships increasingly need coordinated assessment.
Read the briefingThe answers are general guidance. Lender treatment varies by residence, nationality, currency, income, property use and ownership.
Ask about your positionYes. The work may involve explaining foreign income, documenting an overseas deposit or arranging borrowing during a move. These issues occur at different purchase prices. We assess your residence, income, intended property use and funding requirement to establish whether a lending route is available.
Yes. For example, we may need your overseas accountant to explain company earnings or your solicitor to confirm the proposed ownership. With your authority, we coordinate the information needed for the financing. Tax, legal and investment recommendations remain with the appropriately qualified advisers.
No. Tell us where the purchase funds are held, how you earn and which assets you want to retain. That helps establish whether a mortgage lender, private bank or another relevant funding option merits consideration. We explain the requirements and trade-offs before recommending a route.
No. Speaking with a Willow adviser, assessing your cross-border position and presenting appropriate mortgage solutions are free and carry no obligation. We only charge if you decide to proceed, and we explain all costs before you engage us.
Yes. Lender choice depends on country of residence, income currency, intended property use, deposit, UK credit footprint and the way income is evidenced.
Potentially. Lenders accept different currencies and may apply conversion haircuts or require additional evidence. Currency policy can materially change borrowing capacity.
There is no universal percentage. Residence, property use, loan size, currency, credit profile and lender appetite all affect maximum loan-to-value and pricing.
Potentially. Some lenders can work with international credit reports, overseas bank history and a wider asset profile, although a thin or dormant UK file reduces the available routes.
Yes, subject to rental stress testing, jurisdiction, experience, portfolio exposure, income and ownership structure. Some business buy-to-let mortgages are not FCA regulated.
It depends on the lender, confirmed employment, residency timing and the property transaction. Applying before, during or after a move can produce different affordability outcomes.
Private banks can be useful for larger loans, complex international income, global assets or relationship-led lending, but they are not automatically the best or cheapest route.
Applicants commonly need identity and address evidence, income documents, tax returns, bank statements, deposit evidence, existing mortgage details and a clear asset-and-liability summary. Requirements vary by lender and jurisdiction.
Tell us your country of residence, how you are paid and whether you are buying, refinancing or returning to the UK. Include any property deadline or confirmed move date. We can establish the next questions on a call before you gather the documents.
No fee. No obligation.
Speaking with an adviser, assessing your international position and presenting appropriate solutions costs you nothing. You only pay us if you decide to proceed, after every cost has been explained.
Keep sensitive information secure.
Do not send bank statements, identification documents or other sensitive information by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Willow will explain how to share documents securely when required.
As a mortgage is secured against your home or property, it could be repossessed if repayments are not maintained.
Willow Private Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is entered on the Financial Services Register under reference 588422.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate some forms of buy-to-let mortgage. Information on this page is general and does not constitute personalised mortgage, investment, legal or tax advice. Lending is subject to status, valuation, lender criteria, jurisdiction and full underwriting.
