Mortgage brokers should coach their clients on ways to make their homes environmentally friendly so they can take out green mortgages, SimplyBiz’s chief executive Martin Reynolds has said.
Reynolds said they should prepare clients to renew onto a green mortgage further down the line, if they were not yet in a position to take one out.
He said: “Make the client think about getting into their house and making it closer to the metrics that are needed.
“It is talking about the benefits. Saying ‘what type of property are you going for? Here are some links for things that might help make it a little bit more ecofriendly’ and try and give them a more concierge-style service.”
Reynolds went on to say lenders developing appropriate products did not go far enough and said each step of the mortgage application needed to be considered.
Referencing SimplyBiz’s subsidiary Gateway Surveyors and its ability to conduct remote valuations as well as estate agents’ conducting virtual viewings, Reynolds suggested this lessened the number of journeys made to properties thus reducing harmful emissions.
He added: “It’s not just the actual mortgage that becomes green, it’s the process. We need to be looking at that a bit more as well.”
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
