Awareness is key, emphasise experts
Brokers need to be aware of clients’ potential disabilities and adapt accordingly, to ensure that they aren’t disadvantaged in the home-buying process, urges mortgage adviser Sheena Campbell (pictured left), who has ADHD. The managing director of Campbell Financial, believes the responsibility lies with brokerages to ensure that they treat every client with dignity.
Research previously released by Skipton Building Society suggested that 68% of people with a condition that impacts their mobility cited fears of being perceived as incapable of completing the homebuying process. Furthermore, 47% of people with a non-visible or visible disability were more worried about others thinking they were not capable of buying a property. The lender’s research also indicated that people with a disability in the UK, on average, took almost a month longer to buy their first home.
“As someone with ADHD myself, this is a topic that’s genuinely close to my heart,” Campbell told Mortgage Introducer. “Supporting clients with disabilities, hidden or otherwise, is something we’re deeply committed to. Although we do make accommodations where needed - such as adapting how we meet, extending appointment times, or supporting clients alongside third parties like carers or advocates - these adjustments don’t necessarily delay the process, but they do make the journey more comfortable and inclusive.
“One key point here is awareness. As more disabilities, particularly hidden ones, come to the forefront, the industry has a responsibility to adapt. It doesn’t take much - creating safe, discreet spaces for clients to disclose their needs is the absolute minimum we should be doing. The onus is on Firm owners to seek out the right training, build inclusive practices into their culture and make sure that every client, disabled or not, is welcomed, understood and treated with dignity.”
Campbell is a proud Jam Card holder – a simple yet effective card for people with a hidden disability to discreetly and easily show others that they need ‘Just A Minute’ of patience and support; a little extra time or help to reduce stress in social situations. She is trained to support clients with additional needs.
“I was surprised to read that completions can take nearly a month longer for clients with disabilities,” she said. “Lenders are beginning to make it easier for brokers to flag vulnerabilities at the application stage, which is a step in the right direction. We’ve found that a significant portion of our client base lives with some form of vulnerability. While not all of these are classed as disabilities, it reflects the depth of the conversations we’re having and the level of trust our clients place in us.”
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How accommodating are lenders?
Gerard Boon (pictured centre), managing director at Boon Brokers, reports that his business has recently seen more enquiries from people with disabilities. “For the most part, lenders are quite sympathetic and can often use benefits such as Disability Living Allowance in their affordability calculations,” he said. “It's always best for clients to speak with a whole of market broker to discover which lenders can cater for disability-related benefits.”
Boon notes that there are various tools that brokers can use to assist those who are disabled. “For example, we recently had an enquiry from someone who is entirely deaf,” he said. “We used a software to transcribe our consultation with him and his partner from the audio file of the call. We then forwarded this transcription to ensure that he was receiving the same advice as his partner. I can see why brokers fall into the trap of cutting corners with disabled clients by not facilitating for their needs - it can be a costly and time-consuming endeavour. However, in this day and age, it's important for all clients to be treated fairly. With the sophisticated technology available to brokers, solicitors, estate agents, and surveyors, there is no reason why those who are disabled should feel discriminated against during their home-buying journey.”
Boon believes the Financial Conduct Authority should explore promoting the most efficient tools or software available to brokers to assist in enabling a suitable advisory service for those living with disabilities. “As brokers are so busy in their day-to-day operations, many cannot allocate the time to sift through the software available,” he noted. “By the FCA taking this responsibility, they could ensure that brokers only use trusted software or tools verified by the regulator for advising vulnerable clients."
Meanwhile, Louise Baxter (pictured right), chief executive officer of Consumer Friend, a service that aims to make consumer rights easily understood by everyone, identifies the concerns that some clients may have. “When someone living with a disability approaches the idea of homeownership, their first thoughts are not just about affordability,” Baxter said. “They often have other concerns, like ‘Will I be treated fairly?’, ‘Will my benefits count as income?’, ‘Will the system work for me or against me?’. As brokers and lenders these questions should matter deeply, as the people with disabilities can and do get mortgages, but the process is often less accessible, more complex, and fraught with misunderstanding. Many disabled customers don’t even make it through the initial enquiry stage because they are told ‘no’ too quickly, or are not guided through the complexities of benefit-based affordability. That’s not just a missed opportunity for business. It is a missed opportunity for someone’s future.”
Baxter emphasises that not every customer has a salary, but this does not make them less credit worthy. “Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and some elements of Universal Credit and other long term disability benefits can be stable, reliable sources of income,” she said. “Consistency and sustainability are key concerns for the lenders, more than whether the income comes from a job, benefits or another source.
“There are specialist lenders, brokers and schemes that cater to applicants with disabilities. Options like HOLD - Home Ownership for People with Long-Term Disabilities, Shared Ownership, and Support Mortgage Interest are underused and underpromoted.” Baxter added: “A one size fits all approach will not work and should not be expected. It is about listening carefully, removing assumptions and communicating with empathy.”
