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Your earnings

Lenders will offer to lend you an amount based on your earnings. They will normally want to see proof of your income and will also look at your regular outgoings.

• More about typical loan amounts from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) Opens new window

What can you afford?

It's important to give your lender as much detail as you can about your earnings and outgoings so that you're offered a mortgage you can afford. You also need to remember to budget for the one-off costs of buying a property such as administration and solicitor fees and Stamp Duty.

The FSA website has a range of easy-to-use calculators to help you work out what you can afford and the likely monthly cost of a mortgage.

• Use the FSA Moneymadeclear budget calculator Opens new window
• Calculate the likely cost of your mortgage repayments Opens new window
• Factors affecting mortgage affordability - information from the FSA Opens new window

Your property

The property value

Your lender will arrange a valuation to check how much the property's worth. Most lenders will offer up to 90 or even 95 per cent of the valuation if they think you can afford it. This is called 'loan to value' or LTV rate. (If you have high enough earnings or a guarantor they may offer 100 per cent or even more. But interest rates may be higher).

Special types of property

Some lenders limit the amount they'll lend on certain types of property, for example timber-framed. It's worth shopping around to compare deals.

• FSA information on shopping around for mortgages Opens new window

Your credit history

Your lender will check your credit history and ask previous lenders or landlords for references. If your record shows you've had difficulty with loans or rent payments in the past, it may affect how much you can borrow.

Don't be put off if a lender refuses you a mortgage or offers you an expensive deal - it's still worth shopping around.

• FSA guide to credit scoring Opens new window

Self-certification mortgages

If you can't prove your income (perhaps because you're self-employed and don't have accounts going back far enough), you may be able to get a 'self-certification' mortgage. Although you may not have to offer proof of income to the lender, the lender will still want to be sure that you can afford the repayments so may ask you to provide evidence of your other outgoings.

More useful links

• Mortgages made clear - information on the FSA website Opens new window
• Buying and selling your home (home and community section)
• First time buyers (home and community section)