According to the latest poll from Mortgage Solutions, around 28% said that following affordability and stress test changes from lenders, they were proactively reaching out to customers about changes.
A third said they were notifying some customers about the changes, and 39% said their customer outreach strategy had remained the same.
Nikhil Rathi, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) CEO, said updated guidance earlier this year around stress testing had led to around 85% of the lender market updating their approach, leading to them being able to offer around £30,000 more.
Changes in recommendations for high-loan-to-income (LTI) lending have also supported up to 36,000 more first-time buyers per year.
Chris Hill, head of sales at Accord Mortgages, said the regulatory updates this year are allowing lenders to help more people and are “well-known among those close to the detail”.
What mortgage and protection advisers should take from the FCA’s AI stance
Sponsored by Sesame Bankhall Group
“However, feedback from the broker community suggests that not everyone understands exactly what they mean – and the opportunity they present – for brokers, customers, and the market as a whole.
“Brokers play a vital role in helping borrowers understand and take advantage of both the new guidance relating to stress tests and the affordability changes launched in July – including being able to borrow more. As well as helping clients to achieve their homeownership dreams, which they might have thought were out of reach, by taking proactive steps to contact them and explain, this can also help brokers to grow their businesses,” he noted.
Hill added that, for example, there are borrowers who, 12 months ago, could not proceed with applications, perhaps because their income did not meet criteria.
“There are others who haven’t even started looking for a home because they didn’t think [they] had a chance of getting a mortgage. Raising awareness and helping people like this to understand what their options are in the current climate can literally change their life prospects and help build positive, lifelong client relationships at the same time.
“Accord’s Growth Series provides free-to-access content explaining the recent updates relating to loan-to-income limit regulations, as well as covering topics such as customer retention, marketing and lead generation, which can help those who need support to maximise the potential this presents,” he said.
Affordability changes ‘genuinely reshape’ client circumstances
Nick Mendes, mortgage technical manager at John Charcol, said the results are “more surprising than I would have expected given the backdrop of the past few months”.
“We entered winter with softer consumer confidence, an extended period of Budget speculation and an earlier-than-usual seasonal slowdown. Under those conditions, you might assume brokers would naturally increase their outreach, particularly as affordability changes have quietly expanded the borrowing capacity for a meaningful number of clients. What the data shows instead is a varied response across the market, which reflects just how differently firms are interpreting and prioritising these shifts.
“What brokers should take from this is that affordability changes are not simply technical adjustments in lender calculations. They genuinely reshape the circumstances of clients who were previously constrained by stress tests or income caps,” he said.
Mendes noted that when lenders refine stress testing, adjust LTI allowances or revisit criteria, it “often reopens scenarios that were marginal or unworkable only a short time ago”.
“Those moments create real opportunities to re-engage with clients who may now find that their options have improved. There is also a strategic benefit to treating these developments as a natural touchpoint for communication.
“With pricing gradually easing and criteria continuing to evolve, brokers who keep clients informed in real time will be well-placed as activity picks up in early 2026. This is not about pushing products, but about helping clients understand that the landscape may now work more in their favour,” he noted.
David Hollingworth, associate director for communications at L&C Mortgages, said the change in the amount that can be borrowed through stress tests and approaches to high-LTI lending – especially for first-time buyers – has been “substantial” this year.
“This makes for such a significant shift over a relatively short space of time. Potential buyers who were resigned to saving for a bigger deposit may now have the chance to move more quickly.
“That presents the chance for brokers to review and recontact customers to keep them updated on the pace of change in the market. The poll result shows a pretty even split across the three categories. Although the largest single response was no change, the majority do suggest that they are letting relevant customers know about potential changes,” he said.
Hollingworth said the changes give brokers an “opportunity to revisit and nurture those that have previously made enquiries but not been in a position to proceed immediately”.
“With some borrowers potentially able to borrow tens of thousands more and an increasing number of higher-LTI options for first-time buyers, it could be well worth communicating to, and educating, customers just how quickly things have altered,” he noted.
‘Targeted communication’ for affordability changes is key
Jon Stones, managing director of Mortgage 1st, said the results “broadly reflect what we are seeing across our advisers”.
“A proportion of advisers, typically those who are highly organised and segment their client bank effectively, will be reaching out to first-time buyers or customers who may be struggling with affordability to explain what the recent changes could mean for them. However, for many advisers, this is not something that will automatically prompt proactive customer outreach.
“While there has been a change to affordability assessments through the increased LTI ratios, it is still debatable how significant the real-world impact has been for the majority of borrowers. For some clients, it may open up additional options, but it is not a wholesale shift that fundamentally alters affordability for everyone. As a result, it is understandable that many advisers may be taking a more reactive approach rather than contacting their entire client base,” he added.
Stones said that what brokers should take from the poll is the “importance of knowing their customers well and being able to identify those who are most likely to benefit from regulatory or criteria changes”.
“Targeted communication, rather than blanket outreach, is likely to be the most effective strategy. Advisers who stay close to their clients and maintain strong data on affordability pressures will be best placed to add value as the market continues to evolve,” he added.
