Finding the right mortgage broker can save a first-time buyer thousands of pounds and weeks of avoidable stress. The five brokers below cover the full range of what’s available: fee-free whole-of-market advice, fully digital applications, specialist support for complex cases, and AI-assisted matching. The Financial Conduct Authority regulates all five and compares deals from across the market.
| Rank | Company | Rating | Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L&C Mortgages | ★★★★★ | UK’s largest fee-free broker, 90+ lenders, 7-day availability |
| 2 | Habito | ★★★★☆ | Fully digital, no-fee process with whole-of-market access |
| 3 | Mojo Mortgages | ★★★★★ | Fast online journey, 70+ lenders, strong first-time buyer data |
| 4 | Online Mortgage Advisor | ★★★★☆ | Specialist in complex cases and non-standard applicants |
| 5 | Better.co.uk | ★★★☆☆ | AI-assisted mortgage matching for faster initial recommendations |
L&C Mortgages
L&C Mortgages is the UK’s largest fee-free mortgage broker, comparing deals from over 90 lenders to find the right mortgage for first-time buyers at no cost to the borrower.
Founded in Bath, L&C has handled more than one million mortgage applications and holds over 220 industry awards. For a first-time buyer navigating the mortgage market for the first time, the combination of scale, fee-free advice, and seven-day availability makes it a natural starting point. Their advisers are available until 8pm Monday to Thursday, which matters when you’re fitting mortgage calls around a full-time job.
What L&C Offers
L&C’s whole-of-market access means advisers can place mortgages across a wide lender panel, including some exclusive deals not available if you go directly to the lender. If a better rate becomes available between your application and completion, L&C can switch you onto it, a genuinely useful safeguard in a market where rates move quickly. Last year, the firm successfully placed mortgages with 59 different lenders, which signals real breadth rather than a nominal panel.
Over 18,000 customers have reviewed L&C on Trustpilot, and the feedback consistently points to advisers who explain the process clearly and handle the paperwork without the borrower needing to chase. Some customers have noted that the service leans heavily on phone contact rather than an app-based experience, so if you prefer to manage everything digitally, that’s worth bearing in mind.
Services
- Whole-of-market mortgage advice, fee-free
- First-time buyer mortgages, including 95% LTV products
- Help to Buy and shared ownership mortgage advice
- Remortgage and product transfer advice
- Protection and insurance products
Quick Reference
| Website | landc.co.uk |
| Areas covered | UK-wide |
| Key services | Fee-free mortgage advice, whole-of-market access |
| Accreditations / awards | 220+ industry awards |
| Property types | Residential, new build, shared ownership |
Habito
Habito is a fee-free, digital-first mortgage broker with access to deals from more than 90 lenders, built specifically for buyers who want to manage the entire process online without a single phone call.
Founded in 2016, Habito set out to make mortgage applications less opaque. Its model strips out the traditional broker office visit and replaces it with an online journey: you answer questions, receive advice, and progress your application entirely through the platform. For first-time buyers comfortable working digitally, it removes a significant amount of friction from an already demanding process. In a notable development, Monzo acquired Habito in 2025, making it the first UK bank to offer an end-to-end mortgage broking experience within a banking app. Monzo’s 14 million-plus customers can now access Habito’s advice directly through the Monzo app, which may broaden its reach considerably.
The Fully Digital, No-Fee Application Process
Habito’s core proposition is that you pay nothing for its mortgage advice, and you never need to speak to anyone on the phone unless you choose to. The online application asks questions about your income, outgoings, and deposit, then surfaces mortgage recommendations from across its 90-lender panel. Live chat is available for questions at any stage. The process is designed so that a first-time buyer can work through it at their own pace, returning to it between viewings or after an offer has been accepted, without losing progress.
For buyers with smaller deposits, Habito can identify 95% and 100% LTV products, and it advises on specialist arrangements such as joint borrower sole proprietor mortgages, where a family member supports the application without going on the title deeds. Habito Plus, an optional paid service, bundles the mortgage advice with conveyancing and a property survey, giving buyers a single point of contact from offer to exchange. That’s genuinely useful for first-time buyers who find coordinating multiple professionals one of the more stressful parts of buying.
Habito won Best Broker for Digital Innovation at the Mortgage Strategy Awards, a recognition that reflects its investment in the online experience rather than simply replicating a traditional broker online.
Services
- Fee-free whole-of-market mortgage advice, fully online
- First-time buyer mortgages, including 95% and 100% LTV
- Joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage advice
- Habito Plus: mortgage, conveyancing, and survey bundled
- Remortgage advice
Quick Reference
| Website | habito.com |
| Areas covered | UK-wide |
| Key services | Digital-first fee-free advice, Habito Plus bundle |
| Accreditations / awards | Best Broker for Digital Innovation, Mortgage Strategy Awards |
| Property types | Residential, including shared ownership and new build |
Mojo Mortgages
Mojo Mortgages is a free online broker comparing deals from over 70 lenders, built for buyers who want a fast, straightforward digital experience without broker fees.
Owned by the group behind Uswitch and Confused.com, Mojo brings comparison-site thinking to mortgage broking: quick, clear, and driven by data. Its Trustpilot rating reflects strong customer satisfaction, and the firm publishes its own first-time buyer data, which gives a useful window into what’s actually happening among borrowers going through the process right now. In the most recent figures, Mojo saw a 5.7% increase in first-time buyers seeking help compared to the prior year, with the average first-time buyer completing a mortgage at age 32. The North West was the most active region by volume.
What Mojo Offers
Mojo’s online journey is designed to get buyers to a mortgage recommendation quickly. You input your details, and the platform matches you with suitable products from its lender panel. An adviser is available to discuss the recommendation and handle the application from there. The firm’s data shows that 95.5% of its customers completed with a fixed-rate product, with a two-year fix remaining the most popular term. That reflects the broader market preference for rate certainty in an environment where base rate movements have been difficult to predict.
For first-time buyers, Mojo is a practical choice if you want a digital starting point with a human adviser available when you need one. It doesn’t have the lender panel depth of L&C, but for straightforward residential purchases it covers the mainstream market well.
Services
- Free whole-of-market mortgage advice, online
- First-time buyer mortgages
- Remortgage comparisons
- Protection products
Quick Reference
| Website | mojomortgages.com |
| Areas covered | UK-wide |
| Key services | Free online mortgage comparison and advice |
| Accreditations / awards | Part of the Uswitch / Confused.com group |
| Property types | Residential |
Online Mortgage Advisor
Online Mortgage Advisor is a whole-of-market broker that specialises in placing mortgages for applicants whose circumstances fall outside the criteria of high-street lenders, making it particularly useful for first-time buyers with non-standard income or credit histories.
Where many brokers focus on straightforward cases, Online Mortgage Advisor positions itself around the harder ones: self-employed buyers, those with historic credit issues, buyers using unusual deposit sources, or applicants on fixed-term contracts. For a first-time buyer who has been declined elsewhere or who suspects their situation is complicated, this specialism is the firm’s main draw. It operates as a fee-free service for standard cases, though fees may apply depending on the complexity of the application.
Specialist Expertise for Complex Cases
The broker’s panel includes lenders that don’t appear on comparison sites or mainstream panels, which is where its value lies for non-standard applicants. Its advisers are trained to assess which lenders are most likely to accept a given profile before submitting an application, reducing the risk of unnecessary credit footprints from declined applications. That matters for first-time buyers, where a credit search that results in a refusal can affect subsequent applications. The firm also provides a detailed initial assessment before any application is submitted, so buyers understand their options before committing to anything.
Online Mortgage Advisor covers the full range of documents needed to buy a house in its guidance, which is a useful reference for first-time buyers who haven’t been through the process before.
Services
- Whole-of-market mortgage advice
- Specialist mortgages for self-employed and complex income applicants
- Adverse credit mortgage advice
- First-time buyer mortgages
- Remortgage and buy-to-let advice
Quick Reference
| Website | onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk |
| Areas covered | UK-wide |
| Key services | Complex case mortgage advice, adverse credit, self-employed |
| Accreditations / awards | FCA regulated |
| Property types | Residential, buy-to-let |
Better.co.uk
Better.co.uk is a UK mortgage broker that uses AI-assisted matching to surface mortgage recommendations quickly, positioning itself as a technology-led alternative to traditional broker services.
Better originated in the United States, where it built a reputation as a technology-first mortgage lender. Its UK operation, Better.co.uk, brings a similar emphasis on using data and automation to speed up the early stages of the mortgage journey. It is a newer entrant to the UK market compared to the other brokers on this list, and its review volume and track record here are more limited as a result.
AI-Assisted Mortgage Matching
Better.co.uk’s mortgage matching tool uses the information a buyer provides about their income, deposit, and property to generate mortgage recommendations without requiring an adviser call at the outset. The AI layer is designed to reduce the time between a buyer starting the process and seeing suitable products, which can be useful for first-time buyers who want to understand their options before they’re ready to speak to an adviser. Once a recommendation is generated, a human adviser takes over to validate the recommendation and progress the application.
The technology-first approach suits buyers who are comfortable with self-directed digital tools and want to do initial research quickly. It’s less well suited to buyers with complex circumstances, where the nuance of a specialist adviser’s judgement matters more than the speed of an automated recommendation.
Better.co.uk is the newest and least established of the five brokers reviewed here. Its AI matching tool is its clearest point of difference, but first-time buyers who prioritise breadth of lender access or a long track record of placed applications may find the other brokers on this list a stronger fit.
Services
- AI-assisted mortgage matching
- First-time buyer mortgages
- Remortgage advice
- Online mortgage application
Quick Reference
| Website | better.co.uk |
| Areas covered | UK-wide |
| Key services | AI-assisted mortgage matching, online application |
| Accreditations / awards | FCA regulated |
| Property types | Residential |
How to Choose a Mortgage Broker as a First-Time Buyer
Not every broker suits every buyer. The right choice depends on how straightforward your situation is, how you prefer to communicate, and whether you’re willing to pay a fee in exchange for specialist expertise.
| Factor | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Lender panel size | Larger panels mean more options. Aim for 70+ lenders as a baseline |
| Fee structure | Fee-free is common, but complex cases may warrant a paid specialist |
| Communication style | Phone-led or digital-first? Match it to how you prefer to work |
| Specialism | Standard income and credit? Any whole-of-market broker works. Non-standard? Seek a specialist |
| First-time buyer experience | Look for brokers who explain the process, not just the product |
| Availability | Evening and weekend availability matters if you work full-time |
Checklist: Before You Speak to a Broker
- Check your credit report with all three main agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) and correct any errors.
- Calculate your realistic deposit, including any Lifetime ISA bonus if you have one. Our Lifetime ISA guide covers the eligibility rules in full.
- Gather three months of payslips and bank statements, plus your most recent P60.
- If you’re self-employed, have two to three years of accounts or SA302 tax calculations ready.
- Know your target purchase price and the rough loan amount you need.
- Decide whether you want a fully digital process or prefer speaking to an adviser on the phone.
- Ask any broker upfront whether they charge a fee, and if so, when it becomes payable.
- Confirm the broker is FCA authorised before sharing any personal or financial information.
The first-time buyer guide on Addicted To Property covers the full purchase process, from offer to completion, which is worth reading alongside your broker conversations.
Final Verdict
For most first-time buyers with standard employment and a clean credit history, L&C Mortgages is the most straightforward choice: the largest lender panel, no fees, seven-day availability, and a long track record of placed applications. If you want the entire process managed online without a single phone call, Habito is the strongest digital-first option, and its integration into the Monzo app may make it even more accessible over time.
Mojo Mortgages sits comfortably alongside both as a free, data-driven alternative worth comparing. If your situation is more complex — self-employed income, historic credit issues, an unusual deposit source — Online Mortgage Advisor is the most targeted fit on this list. Better.co.uk is worth a look if you want a fast AI-generated starting point, but treat it as a tool for early research rather than a replacement for full whole-of-market advice.
Intermediary mortgage lenders now handle the overwhelming majority of UK mortgage applications, and the gap between a broker-placed mortgage and a direct application has widened in favour of borrowers who use one. Whichever firm you choose from this list, using a broker is almost certainly the right call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many of the most widely used brokers, including L&C Mortgages, Habito, and Mojo Mortgages, are entirely fee-free, earning their income from lender commission instead. Some specialist brokers charge a fee for complex cases, such as self-employed applicants or those with adverse credit, so it is always worth asking upfront before you proceed.
Yes. Whole-of-market brokers can identify lenders offering 95% loan-to-value mortgages, which are available to first-time buyers with a 5% deposit. Some brokers, including Habito, also advise on 100% LTV products and specialist arrangements such as joint borrower sole proprietor mortgages, where a family member supports the application without being on the property title.
The initial conversation with a broker and the advice they provide do not trigger a credit search. A hard credit check only occurs when a formal mortgage application is submitted to a lender. A good broker will assess which lenders are most likely to accept your profile before applying, reducing the risk of multiple hard searches from declined applications.
The time from initial enquiry to receiving a mortgage offer varies, but a straightforward case with a fee-free whole-of-market broker typically takes between two and six weeks. Complex cases or those requiring specialist lenders can take longer. Having your documents ready before you start, including payslips, bank statements, and your P60, usually speeds things up considerably.
For most first-time buyers, using a broker gives access to a wider range of products than going directly to one lender, and at no extra cost when using a fee-free service. Brokers can also identify exclusive deals not available directly, handle the paperwork, and switch you to a better rate if one becomes available before completion. The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association reports that intermediaries now handle the large majority of UK mortgage applications, which reflects how widely borrowers rely on them.