Homes for self-starters: The Challenges Self-Employed Individuals Face When Applying for a Mortgage

Can't thank Jody enough for what she has done for myself and my wife with all the mortgage help. She was very professional and helpful and was always there to help with any problems or questions that we had. Can't recommend her enough. Thanks Jody.

Could not recommend Paula and her team enough. As first time buyers, we didn’t really know where to start. I found Belle Maison Mortgages through Google and messaged via email. Paula & Louise have been amazing throughout the whole process. If you are thinking of going with Belle Maison, you should! Truly thank you so much, we could not of done any of this without you. ☺️

Claire was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. Extremely knowledgable and professional while still remaining approachable and a joy to talk to. She was always available when needed and easy to get hold of. I highly recommend her services to any first time buyers who need that bit extra support and guidance. Her thoughtfulness even extended to a ‘welcome to your new home’ gift of delicious cookies, 5 stars!

I was recommended to bellemaisonmortgages by a close friend and I was not disappointed by any means . Paula and her team were fantastic from start to finish of my mortgage application . It is a very professional business and whenever I needed help , Paula was always there . Even when Paula was on holiday she was still reaching out and providing the best quality support , she made the whole process smooth and easy for me . Absolutely fantastic customer service and would 100% recommend to anyone who’s looking to get a mortgage to use bellemaisonmortgages .

Paula has been nothing but amazing from start to finish. I first contacted Paula when I was in an IVA and explained my situation, she worked with me from that point to help me every step of the way to build my credit file to be able to buy my first house. She persevered for almost 2 years to assist me in any way possible. Last week I completed on my dream home and I can honestly say I never thought it would happen. Not only did I get approved for a mortgage but Paula worked with all of the high street lenders to prove my circumstances had changed dramatically over the last couple of years and was able to secure a high street rate. I can’t thank Paula and her team for making this possible for me and my children. Thank you so much for not giving up on us, even when it didn’t seem possible.

A massive thank you to Paula for ensuring my mortgage went through smoothly and everything was in place when it was needed. Paula was responsive, proactive and clear in all her explanations from the initial call all the way through to the completion of my mortgage. I would recommend Paula to all my friends and family. Thank you again Paula x

If you need a mortgage advisor then you need to use Belle Maison mortgages. Paula has been amazing from start to finish, and has made my life so easy during what is meant to be one of the most stressful periods of your life. I even pulled out of a house purchase and purchased a different house which Paula made so easy to do, and there was no extra fee for this. She also adjusted my mortgage to a lower rate when one became available. It has been completely stress free as Paula and Louise did all of the chasing with the solicitors and sorting my insurances etc, I literally had to do nothing! If I had not used Belle Maison Mortgages I strongly believe my whole experience would have been completely different, so I am so so grateful to have had such a positive experience when buying a house. Thank you guys! P.S. Empresses loves the new gaff

We used Belle Maison recently to purchase our new home. We weren’t first time buyers this time, and have never been in a chain before so lots of this was new to us. I can’t recommend Paula and Louise highly enough. The whole transaction was made so much easier because Paula provided such an efficient service. She was informative, efficient, and helpful, and always kind and considered. We felt really comfortable having Paula and Louise involved in our transaction and it definitely helped us get where we needed to be. They were very communicative - often out of hours and on weekends which we really appreciated. They helped us work through insurance options too, which was also new to us. I’ll definitely be using the service again for my next mortgage, and will recommend them to anyone! If I could give more than 5 stars, I would ✨

Amazing from start to finish, helped us every step & made what would have been a stressful task very easy/simple. Massive thanks you.

So glad we chose Belle Maison to support us with our mortgage when we chose to move house. The service was second to none and Paula was always available to chat and talk through things with us. If you’re thinking about moving or doing anything in the way of mortgages then I absolutely recommend Belle Maison 100%. We will be forever grateful.

Cannot thank Paula and Louise enough! They’re responsive, efficient, honest and genuinely care about their customers and getting the best outcome as soon as possible. Communication, at every stage, has been second to none. Thank you, thank you, thank you for easing the stress, not adding to it!

A huge thank you to Paula & Louise, who made buying our first home so seamless. Buying your first home can seem like such a daunting process, but Belle Maison provides clear guidance on what’s required from start to finish. We would highly recommend Paula & Louise, they really are experts in their field. Super knowledgable & personable 😁.

Couldn’t recommend Paula & the team highly enough. Always had the answers, worked very hard to make our dream possible. Forever grateful.

We would like to thank Paula for all her hard work, guidance, and support throughout our mortgage process. Her expertise, patience, and attention to detail made what could have been a stressful experience feel smooth and manageable. We appreciate how she took the time to explain each step clearly, answer all our questions, and ensure we felt confident in every decision we made. We're incredibly grateful for the care she put into helping us secure the right mortgage. Thanks for all your efforts, as we look forward to this new chapter in our lives with peace of mind. We definitely won't hesitate to recommend Belle Maison to our friends or family in need of a super reliable, personable and knowledgeable mortgage advisor! 😊 We would also like to thank Louise who was great at keeping in touch with us. She provided us with regular updates throughout the whole process😊

Thankyou so much to Jodi and Louise! We would have been lost without you, as first time buyers and not being familiar with the process you both helped us so much, would highly recommend thankyou again! X

The only word to describe Claire is, amazing. As a first time buyer with various obstacles in getting a mortgage Claire went above and beyond to help me purchase my first home. From the very beginning, Claire was friendly, reassuring and supportive all whilst being honest and managing my expectations. I am certain that if it wasn’t for Claire i wouldn’tbe sat in my home today as i would have given up. I would highly recommend Claire and the team at Belle Masion Mortgages.

If I could give 6 stars I would!! We contacted Paula in the run up to our remortgage date and from the very start Paula and her team were amazing. Paula went through a range of deals with us and secured us the best interest rate. We also chose to redo some of our life insurance policies as circumstances had changed since we took our original policies out, again Paula was extremely helpful and explained all the different options in detail so we could pick what worked best for us. I couldn’t recommend Paula and the Belle Maison team more, they make what can be a complicated process into a simple and seamless process, and Paula was always on hand to answer any questions we had!

first time buyer here, big help, guidenc, understanding. would recoment 100%

Paula and Louise have been fab from start to finish! No question I've had has been a bother or too silly, and they've helped make the entire mortgage process really clear - which is exactly what's needed as a first time buyer. Thank you ❤️

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Claire at Belle Maison as our mortgage advisor, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, Claire was knowledgeable, approachable, and incredibly supportive. She took the time to explain everything clearly, found us a great deal, and guided us through every step of the process with patience and professionalism. What really stood out was how genuinely invested she was in helping us – she went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly and was always just a phone call or email away. Thanks to Claire, what could have been a stressful process felt straightforward and even enjoyable. We’re now in our new home and so grateful for all her help. We’d highly recommend Claire at Belle Maison to anyone looking for a mortgage advisor – she’s truly brilliant at what she does.

I’ll start this review firstly by commenting on Paula as a person, instead of Paula the mortgage advisor. Paula from start to finish of this process has been an absolute superstar. She’s been with us from the beginning and has shown such a keen interest in our lives as a couple, really taking the time to get to know us and what we wanted our future to look like. Paula is professional, compassionate and considerate, and unwaveringly supportive. As a mortgage advisor, Paula has given us exemplary advice, we know we wouldn’t have got the best deal had it not been for Paula. She really took us through every step in great detail and with such understanding, ensuring we were aware of all the pros and cons, which is really useful when you’re selling and buying a home for the first time! We never felt we were being hoodwinked or being sold something we saw no benefit in. Paula and Louise’s responsiveness was very quick which was very appreciated. We would 100% recommend Paula at Belle Maison Mortgages, and can’t wait to come back to her when it’s time to remortgage, or hopefully sooner if not to just check in! Thank you so much for everything!!

We honestly couldn’t have asked for better support than we received from Paula, our Mortgage Adviser. She has been the absolute best—knowledgeable, dedicated, patient, and truly invested in helping us every step of the way. We genuinely couldn’t have done this without her, and we’re beyond grateful for everything she’s done for us. A huge thank you as well to Louise, who has also been amazing throughout. Her support, responsiveness, and positive attitude made such a difference and helped make the whole process smoother and less stressful. We’re so thankful to both Paula and Louise—they’ve been outstanding from start to finish!

I highly recommend Belle Maison Mortgages, Paula and Louise provided incredible support throughout the mortgage process. They were highly knowledgeable, but also patient and approachable. Both were always willing to go the extra mile to make sure everything was clear and stress-free. Their guidance made a huge difference, and I felt supported every step of the way. Thank you both x

It’s been a pleasure working with Paula, absolutely fantastic what she as done for me, couldn’t ask for better

Jodie was very helpful and she was always there when i needed her help as being first time buyers, she managed to get us a great deal despite work circumstances . Would highly recommend! Thanks so much

100% recommend Jodi for anything relating to mortgages, insurance etc. Jodi has been brilliant with communication, explaining things to me, arranging meetings around my busy schedule and supporting me with the best decisions. I can’t thank her enough for everything she has done for me and will continue to do for me! Amazing 👏🏼

Claire at Belle maison has been amazing through my first time buy! Also Louise has been so helpful with getting updates.

Paula has been amazing for me & my partner! after being told from a previous broker it was near on impossible for us to get a mortgage, Paula searched and got us one really fast! She’s really amazing & professional! I would definitely recommend :)

We had an incredible experience with Paula at Belle Maison. As first time buyers who had no knowledge of how the process of buying a property works, Paula was there to guide us through the process. She ensured we got a great mortgage deal and the best insurances for our circumstances. We had lots of questions and often needed things clarifying but this wasn’t ever too much trouble for Paula. Everyone told us buying a home would be stressful but this wasn’t the case thanks to Bella Maison. A massive thank you to everyone at Belle Maison for helping us secure our first home.

Amazing service from start to finish. Made the whole process so stress free for us moving into our first home. Huge thank you to Paula and Louise, couldn't recommend enough!

We received a top class service from Paula and Louise throughout the house purchasing process. One sale fell through, but they were able to secure the best deal for us when we needed them again. I have and will continue to recommend this company to anyone looking to buy a home in the future.

Couldn’t recommend Paula at Belle Maison Mortgages anymore! She made our house buying process so smooth and helped us every step of the way. We had one house purchase fall through and Paula was there to support us through it all. We are so grateful to Paula and Louise!! Thank you for helping us secure our dream home 🤩

New home weekend! Claire was absolutely amazing in the service she provided to me and my husband buying our family home! We saw our dream home and wasn't sure if we could make it work but Claire knew all the answers, with quite a complicated mortgage, Claire figured out the best deals for us! We are now settled in our new family home waiting on the arrival of our 1st baby. 🏠 We would 100% recommend Claire and Belle Maison Morgages to anyone that is looking to move 😍 thank you again. Lesia & Callum

We can’t thank Claire Knowles enough during our move process. Absolutely amazing service. Me and my partner were first time buyers and Claire was exceptional throughout. She had answers to all our daft questions and is a lovely person. Highly recommend, thank you once again!

I honestly couldn’t recommend Paula enough. I’m a mortgage advisor myself and I wouldn’t dream of using or trusting anyone else with my mortgage needs. This is my second time using Paula and following what could only be described as a really difficult time it just felt like I was catching up with an old friend. She is professional, knowledgeable and just an all round lovely person. She is always so prompt to respond to any emails, texts or calls. I will absolutely be back in the future, and would recommend Paula & her team to anybody!