Published and reviewed 30 October 2026. General information, not advice. Figures are illustrations, not lender quotes.
The short version
- A commercial mortgage quote is not one document. It usually moves through four stages: an online estimate, indicative terms, credit-backed terms after a credit search, and the formal offer. Only the offer, once accepted, commits the lender, and even that comes with conditions.
- A useful quote needs real information: the property, its price or value, how it is used, the loan, the term and two to three years of company accounts or the rent and lease. A quote given on less is a guess.
- Look past the rate. On our worked purchase of a £650,000 building with a £455,000 loan, the deposit, stamp duty, fees and legal costs mean the company needs about £236,000 in cash before the first monthly payment of about £3,326.
- Compare quotes over the time you expect to keep the loan. Of three illustrative quotes on the same loan, a 6.25% fix with a 2% fee was cheapest over five years, but a 6.65% tracker with no early repayment charge was about £14,900 cheaper if the company sold after two years.
- Quotes change before the offer. A lower valuation, a move in swap rates, which were about 4.72% for five years on 28 October 2026, or a problem found in the legal work can all change the loan size or rate. Leave a margin in the deposit and the budget.
What a commercial mortgage quote actually is
When people ask for a commercial mortgage quote, they usually want three answers: how much they can borrow, at what rate, and what it will cost each month. Unlike a home mortgage, there is rarely a fixed product to pick from a table. Each lender prices each loan for the building, the business and the people behind it, so the answers firm up in stages as the lender learns more.
| Stage | What it is | Credit search | Is it binding? | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online estimate or calculator | A repayment figure from a loan amount, rate and term that you enter, or a range from a broker’s or lender’s website. | None | No. It is arithmetic, not a decision. | Instant |
| Indicative terms | A lender or broker’s first view of the loan, rate range, fee and term, based on what you have told them. Also called an indicative quote or terms in principle. | Usually none, or a soft search | No. The lender can change or withdraw it. | A few days after a complete enquiry |
| Credit-backed terms | Terms approved in principle by the lender’s credit team after reviewing accounts and credit files. Sometimes issued as heads of terms, a decision in principle or a terms letter. You usually sign to accept and pay for the valuation at this point. | Often soft at first, then hard on the company and the directors | No, but it is the first stage worth paying for a valuation on. | One to three weeks |
| Formal offer or facility letter | The lender’s written offer after the valuation and full underwriting, setting out every term, fee, security requirement and condition. | Completed by this stage | Once you sign and accept, it is a contract, subject to the conditions being met before the money is released. | Two to six weeks after the valuation instruction |
Most of the confusion about commercial mortgage quotes comes from treating an early stage as if it were the last. An indicative rate is a reasonable estimate of where the price will land if everything you have said is confirmed. It is not a promise to lend, and it is not a rate that is held for you. Lenders usually only hold a fixed rate once the formal offer is issued, and sometimes only for a limited period after that.
Names vary between lenders. One lender’s heads of terms is another’s agreement in principle or credit-approved terms. What matters is what stage the document represents, so ask the lender or broker two questions every time: has credit approved this, and what could still change it?
What a lender needs to give you a real quote
The quality of a quote depends on the quality of the information behind it. A lender quoting from a loan amount and a postcode is guessing. A lender quoting from accounts, a lease and a clear plan is pricing. This is what to have ready.
| Area | Owner-occupied premises | Investment property let to tenants |
|---|---|---|
| The property | Address, type, size, tenure (freehold or leasehold and the years left), price or estimated value, condition and any works planned. | The same, plus the number of units and any residential element. |
| The loan | Amount, term, repayment or interest only, preferred fixed or tracker, and when you need the money. | The same, plus whether you might sell or refinance within five years. |
| The income | Two to three years of filed accounts, recent management accounts and a forecast. The rent you will stop paying once you own the building counts in your favour. | The lease or leases, the rent, the tenant’s covenant strength, the remaining lease term and break dates. A schedule of tenancies for multi-let buildings. |
| The company | Company number, directors and shareholders, existing borrowing and any charges already registered. | The same. A special purpose vehicle with no trading record is common for investment loans. |
| The people | Directors’ experience, personal assets and liabilities, and any past credit problems explained briefly. | The same, plus your track record as a landlord. |
| The deposit | How much you are putting in and where it comes from. Lenders check the source of funds. | The same. |
Two pieces of information change quotes more than any others. The first is whether the building is owner-occupied or let, because lenders price and size the two differently. The second is the earnings that will pay the loan. For a trading business, lenders usually want earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of at least about 1.25 to 1.5 times the yearly repayments, often tested at a rate above the one you will pay. For let property, they usually test the rent against the interest at a stressed rate. Our guide on how to get a commercial mortgage works through both tests, and our guide to commercial buy to let mortgages covers rent cover in detail.
Worked example: will the earnings support the quote?
These are assumptions for the illustration: a £455,000 loan over 20 years on capital repayment, a quoted rate of 6.25%, and a lender that wants earnings of 1.4 times the yearly repayments at a stressed rate two points above the quoted rate.
- Yearly repayments at 6.25%: about £39,900, or about £3,326 a month.
- Yearly repayments at the 8.25% stress rate: about £46,500.
- Earnings needed at 1.4 times cover: about £65,100 a year, against about £55,900 if the lender tested at the quoted rate.
If your earnings sit between those figures, two quotes on the same loan could come back with different maximum loans purely because the lenders stress differently. Ask each lender how it tests affordability before you rely on the loan size.
How to read a commercial mortgage quote, line by line
Every lender lays its terms out differently, but almost every quote, terms letter and offer covers the same ground. Use this table as a checklist. A line that is missing is a question to ask, not a sign that it does not apply.
| Line | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Loan amount and loan to value | How much you can borrow and what share of the value that is. | Whether it is based on the price or the valuation, whichever is lower, and what happens if the valuation comes in lower. |
| Rate type | Fixed for a set period, a tracker over Bank Rate or SONIA, or the lender’s own variable rate. | How long any fix lasts and what rate applies after it. |
| Margin and floor | For a tracker, the fixed margin added to Bank Rate, currently 3.75%. A floor is a minimum rate. | Whether there is a floor and at what level. A floor at Bank Rate means you never benefit from cuts below today’s level. |
| Term and repayment basis | How long the loan runs and whether you pay capital and interest or interest only. | Whether the term is the full repayment period or a shorter facility term with a large balance due at the end. |
| Arrangement fee | The lender’s fee for setting up the loan, often 1% to 2% of the loan. | Whether it is paid upfront, deducted from the loan or added to it, and whether any part is due on acceptance. |
| Valuation fee | Paid to the lender’s chosen valuer, usually before the offer. | The amount including VAT, and whether any of it is refunded if the case does not proceed. |
| Legal fees | Your solicitor’s and, usually, the lender’s solicitor’s costs. | Whether you pay the lender’s legal costs even if the loan does not complete. |
| Broker fee | A fee to the broker, if you use one, on top of any commission the lender pays them. | Both amounts, in writing, and when the fee becomes payable. |
| Early repayment charges | A charge if you repay during a fixed period, often a sliding scale or the lender’s actual break cost. | An example in pounds for repaying after one, two and three years. Whether you can overpay a share each year without charge. |
| Security | A first legal charge over the property, and sometimes a debenture over the company’s other assets. | Whether the lender also wants a charge over another property or a debenture, which can limit other borrowing. |
| Personal guarantees | A promise by directors to repay if the company cannot. | Whether the guarantee is limited to a set amount, and whether it is joint and several. Our guide to personal guarantees explains the difference. |
| Covenants | Financial tests you must keep passing, such as minimum earnings or rent cover, or a maximum loan to value. | How often they are tested, the exact definitions, and what happens on a breach. |
| Conditions | Things that must be true or done before the money is released, such as a satisfactory valuation, searches, insurance or a signed lease. | Anything you cannot control, and anything that depends on a third party such as a tenant or the seller. |
| Validity | How long the terms or offer stand. | The expiry date against your completion timetable, and whether a fixed rate can be repriced before you accept. |
Two lines deserve special attention because they are easy to miss and expensive to discover later. The facility term on some commercial loans is shorter than the repayment period. A loan repaid over 20 years on a five-year facility leaves most of the balance due, or up for review, after five years. And the conditions can include items that stop completion at the last minute, such as an environmental report, a building survey or a tenant’s signature. Read them with your solicitor before you pay for the valuation, not after.
What a commercial mortgage really costs: one quote in full
The question of how much a commercial mortgage costs has three answers: the cash you need before completion, the monthly payment, and the total cost over the time you hold the loan. This worked example puts all three in one place.
Worked example: a £650,000 warehouse unit with a 70% loan
These are assumptions for the illustration, not a quote. A trading limited company is buying a freehold warehouse unit in England for its own use for £650,000. The quote is a £455,000 loan, 70% of the price, over 20 years on capital repayment, fixed at 6.25% for five years with a 2% arrangement fee. No VAT is charged on the purchase.
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | £195,000 | The 30% of the price the loan does not cover. |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax | £22,000 | On non-residential rates: nothing on the first £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000 and 5% on the remaining £400,000. |
| Arrangement fee | £9,100 | 2% of the loan. Some lenders let you add it to the loan instead, which saves cash now but costs more interest. |
| Valuation | About £2,150 | One published lender scale, Atom bank’s commercial price list, charges £2,150 including VAT for a property worth up to £750,000. Other lenders charge more for complex buildings. |
| Your solicitor | About £4,000 | An assumption. Purchase work and the loan work together, plus VAT. Leasehold or tenanted buildings cost more. |
| The lender’s solicitor | About £2,500 | An assumption. Commercial borrowers usually pay the lender’s legal costs. |
| Searches and survey | About £1,500 | An assumption. Local and environmental searches and a basic building survey. A full survey or contamination report costs more. |
| Total cash needed | About £236,250 | About 36% of the price, before fit-out, moving costs, insurance or business rates. |
- Monthly payment: about £3,326 while the 6.25% fix lasts. Interest only would be about £2,370 a month, but the full £455,000 would still be owed.
- Cost over the five-year fix: about £132,400 of interest plus the £9,100 fee, so about £141,500. About £67,100 of the loan is repaid over the same period, leaving about £387,900.
- Cost over 20 years at the same rate: about £343,200 of interest. In practice the rate will change when the fix ends, so treat that figure as an illustration of scale only.
Adding the £9,100 fee to the loan would cut the cash needed to about £227,150 but raise the payment to about £3,392 a month. Over five years that costs about £2,650 more in interest than paying the fee upfront. It can still be worth it if the cash is more useful in the business.
The cash needed is what catches many first-time buyers out. A 70% loan does not mean you need 30% of the price. In this example the company needs about 36%, and that is before the building is ready to use. Our guide on how to get a commercial mortgage covers deposits and day-one cash in more detail, and Scottish and Welsh purchases pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax or Land Transaction Tax instead of Stamp Duty Land Tax, at different rates.
How to compare commercial mortgage quotes
The lowest rate is not always the cheapest loan. Fees, early repayment charges and the rate type all change the total, and which quote wins depends on how long you keep the loan. The fairest comparison puts every quote on the same loan amount and term and measures the total cost over the period you realistically expect to hold it.
Worked example: three quotes on the same £455,000 loan
These are illustrative quotes, not real offers. Each is a £455,000 loan over 20 years on capital repayment. Both fixes have early repayment charges of 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% and 1% of the balance in years one to five. The tracker assumes Bank Rate stays at 3.75%.
| Quote A: bank fix | Quote B: challenger fix | Quote C: tracker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | 6.50% fixed for five years | 6.25% fixed for five years | Bank Rate plus 2.90%, so 6.65% today, with no floor |
| Arrangement fee | 1.5% (£6,825) | 2% (£9,100) | Flat £3,500 |
| Early repayment charges | 5% to 1% over five years | 5% to 1% over five years | None |
| Monthly payment | £3,392 | £3,326 | £3,433 |
| Cost over five years, kept to the end | £144,800 | £141,500 | £144,800 |
| Effective annual cost over five years | About 7.10% | About 6.97% | About 7.06% |
| Cost if repaid after two years, including the 3% charge | £77,500 | £77,500 | £62,600 |
| Effective annual cost if repaid after two years | About 9.03% | About 9.06% | About 7.31% |
Cost means interest plus fees plus any early repayment charge. The effective annual cost spreads the fee and any charge over the time the loan is held.
- Kept for five years, Quote B is cheapest by about £3,300, because its lower rate more than pays back its higher fee.
- Repaid after two years, Quote C is cheapest by about £14,900, because the fixes each carry an early repayment charge of about £12,900.
- If Bank Rate rose by one point after the first year, Quote C’s payment would rise to about £3,697 a month and its five-year cost to about £162,300, about £20,800 more than Quote B.
So the right quote depends on two questions only you can answer: how likely are you to sell, refinance or repay within the fixed period, and could the business absorb a rise in payments? Our guide to commercial mortgage rates explains how fixed and tracker rates are built and how to stress-test a tracker.
A checklist for comparing quotes
- Same amount, same term. Ask every lender to quote the same loan and repayment period, or recalculate their figures yourself in the commercial mortgage calculator.
- Same stage. Compare indicative terms with indicative terms, and credit-backed terms with credit-backed terms. An early quote from one lender is not comparable with an approved one from another.
- Total cost over your plan. Work out interest, fees and early repayment charges over the period you expect to hold the loan, and again over a shorter period in case plans change.
- The cash on day one. A fee taken from the loan, a lower loan to value or a retention held back until works are done all change how much cash the company needs.
- The terms that are not price. Personal guarantees, extra security, covenants and conditions can matter more than a quarter of a point on the rate.
- Certainty. A slightly dearer quote from a lender that has seen your accounts and the building can be worth more than a cheaper one that has not.
Our guide on how to compare business loans sets out the general like-for-like approach for any kind of business finance.
Why a quote changes before the offer
Most commercial mortgage quotes change at least once between the first indication and the offer. Knowing why helps you plan for it, and helps you tell a fair change from a bait-and-switch.
The valuation comes in lower than the price
Lenders lend against the lower of the price and the valuation. If the valuer thinks the building is worth less than you agreed to pay, the loan shrinks and you fill the gap.
Worked example: a £610,000 valuation on a £650,000 purchase
With the same 70% maximum loan to value, the loan falls from £455,000 to about £427,000. The company needs about £28,000 more cash, on top of the £236,250 already budgeted, or must renegotiate the price. Keep a margin of 5% to 10% of the price available until the valuation is in, or use the valuation to reopen the price with the seller.
Swap rates move
Fixed rates are priced from swap rates, which change every day. The five-year swap rate was about 4.72% on 28 October 2026, up from about 4.35% in early September. A lender that issued indicative terms before that move may reprice before the offer. On our £455,000 example, a quarter-point rise from 6.25% to 6.50% adds about £67 a month, or about £800 a year. Ask when the rate will be fixed and whether you can secure it earlier.
Bank Rate changes
Bank Rate is 3.75%, and the next Bank of England decision is due on 5 November 2026. A change moves tracker quotes straight away and usually feeds into fixed rates too.
Underwriting finds something
Full underwriting can change the terms if the accounts are weaker than the summary suggested, the credit search shows missed payments, a lease has an early break clause, or the building needs more work than expected. The answer is to give the full picture at the start. A problem disclosed upfront is usually priced in. A problem found later can end the application after you have paid for the valuation.
The legal work raises an issue
Searches, title problems, planning breaches or a contamination report can lead the lender to add conditions, hold back part of the loan or reduce it. Instruct a solicitor with commercial property experience early so issues surface before you are committed.
Does getting a commercial mortgage quote affect your credit?
It depends on the stage. Online estimates involve no search. Indicative terms usually involve none, or a soft search, which shows on your file but is not visible to other lenders and does not affect your score. Credit-backed terms and the full application usually involve searches on the company and on each director or guarantor, and at some point these become hard searches that other lenders can see. One lender, Landbay, describes running soft company and director searches at its decision in principle, for example, but practice varies.
Several hard searches in a short period can make lenders cautious, because they may suggest the business has been declined elsewhere. Before you agree to credit-backed terms, ask each lender what kind of search it will run and when. Our guide to bad credit business loans explains how lenders read company and director credit files, and the Information Commissioner’s Office explains your rights to see and correct the information held about you.
How to get commercial mortgage quotes, step by step
- Run your own numbers first. Use the commercial mortgage calculator to see the payment at a few rates and terms, and work out the cash you would need, including stamp duty and fees. This tells you whether the plan works before anyone runs a credit search.
- Gather the information. Accounts, management figures, the property details, the lease if it is let, and a short summary of the business and the plan. A complete pack gets a better quote faster.
- Decide where to ask. Your own bank, one or two challenger or specialist lenders that publish criteria for your type of property, or a commercial finance broker who can approach several. The next section compares the routes.
- Ask for indicative terms in writing. Get the rate, fee, loan to value, term, repayment basis, early repayment charges and guarantees from each, on the same loan amount.
- Compare and shortlist. Use the comparison checklist above. Ask about anything unclear, especially conditions and covenants.
- Accept credit-backed terms with one lender. This is usually when the lender runs full credit searches and you pay for the valuation. Do it with one lender at a time to avoid paying for several valuations.
- Valuation and underwriting. The valuer inspects the building and the lender completes its checks. Expect two to six weeks.
- Review the formal offer with your solicitor. Check every term against the quote you accepted. Ask for an explanation of anything that has changed.
- Satisfy the conditions and complete. Your solicitor and the lender’s solicitor deal with title, searches, insurance and the charge. The lender releases the money on completion.
A straightforward commercial purchase often takes about six to twelve weeks from application to completion, and longer for complex buildings, leaseholds or multiple tenants. Our borrowing checklist covers the preparation that applies to any business finance application.
Where to get a quote: banks, specialists and brokers
| Route | Strengths | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Your own bank | Knows your account history, may price keenly for existing customers and may offer a relationship discount. | You see one lender’s view only. A decline can feel final when other lenders might say yes. |
| Challenger and specialist lenders | Many publish rates, fees and criteria, and some specialise in property types or borrowers that high street banks avoid. | Criteria can be narrow. Higher-risk cases cost more. Some only accept applications through brokers. |
| A commercial finance broker | Can approach several lenders, knows which are active for your type of case, and handles the paperwork. | Ask for the broker fee and any lender commission in writing. Ask how many lenders they work with and whether any pay them more. |
| Online calculators and estimate tools | Instant figures with no credit search, useful for checking whether a plan is affordable. | Not a quote. No lender has looked at the business or the building. |
Many lenders pay brokers commission, often called a procuration fee. Atom bank’s published price list, for example, shows a 1.75% procuration fee paid out of its 2% arrangement fee for applications from 8 June 2026. Commission is not wrong in itself, but you should know about it so you can judge any recommendation. Most commercial mortgages to limited companies are not regulated, so the firm offering the quote may not be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. If it says it is, check the FCA Register.
Warning signs in a quote
- A fee before any lender has seen your case. Paying for a valuation after credit-backed terms is normal. An upfront fee to secure a loan, especially by bank transfer to an individual, is a common sign of loan fee fraud.
- Guaranteed approval or a firm rate before the lender has seen accounts or the building.
- Pressure to sign quickly without time for your solicitor to read the terms.
- Vague costs, such as fees described as a percentage without saying of what, or early repayment charges without an example in pounds.
Is a commercial mortgage quote regulated?
Usually not. A loan to a limited company secured on commercial property is generally outside the Financial Conduct Authority’s mortgage rules, so there is no standard illustration or annual percentage rate of charge that every lender must give you. That is why quotes look so different and why reading the terms line by line matters.
There are exceptions. A loan to an individual or trustees secured on property that is at least 40% used as their home, or a close family member’s, can be a regulated mortgage contract, which can catch some semi-commercial buildings such as a shop with a flat above. Many banks follow the Lending Standards Board’s Standards of Lending Practice for business customers, and micro-enterprises and some small businesses can take complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Outside those protections, the facility letter is the contract, so have a solicitor review it before you sign.
Where Business Loan Advice fits
We are not a lender or a broker and we do not give personal advice. We are preparing a service that will introduce UK limited companies directly to lenders, including for commercial mortgages. No lenders are confirmed yet, so we cannot currently obtain quotes or make introductions. You will not pay us a fee. If a lender pays us commission after the service launches, we will tell you before asking your permission to refer you.
In the meantime, the commercial mortgage calculator and these guides are free to use with no sign-up, so you can check any quote you receive elsewhere. If your limited company is planning a property purchase or refinance, you can register its interest and we will contact you about the service launch. Read how we are paid for the details.
Common questions
How do I get a commercial mortgage quote?
Gather two to three years of accounts, the property details and, for let property, the lease. Then ask your bank, one or two specialist lenders or a commercial finance broker for indicative terms in writing on the same loan amount and term. Compare them, then accept credit-backed terms with one lender and pay for its valuation.
Is a commercial mortgage quote binding?
No. Indicative and credit-backed terms can change or be withdrawn. Only the formal offer, once you sign and accept it, is a contract, and even then the lender releases the money only when its conditions are met, such as a satisfactory valuation and legal checks.
What information do I need for a commercial mortgage quote?
The property address, type, tenure and price, the loan amount and term, two to three years of company accounts and recent management figures, details of directors and existing borrowing, and the source of the deposit. For let property, add the leases and the rent.
How much does a commercial mortgage cost?
In our example, a £455,000 loan over 20 years at 6.25% costs about £3,326 a month and about £141,500 in interest and fees over a five-year fix. Buying the £650,000 building needed about £236,250 in cash first, including the deposit, stamp duty, fees and legal costs.
How long does a commercial mortgage quote take?
Indicative terms often take a few days once a lender has complete information. Credit-backed terms usually take one to three weeks. The formal offer follows the valuation, typically two to six weeks later. A straightforward purchase often completes six to twelve weeks after the application.
Does a commercial mortgage quote affect my credit score?
Indicative quotes usually involve no search or a soft search, which other lenders cannot see. Credit-backed terms and full applications usually involve searches on the company and directors that become hard searches. Ask each lender what search it will run before you agree.
How long is a commercial mortgage offer valid for?
It varies by lender, commonly from a few weeks to a few months. Check the expiry date against your completion timetable. A fixed rate may only be held for part of that period, and an expired offer may be reissued on different terms.
Why has my commercial mortgage quote changed?
The usual reasons are a valuation below the price, a move in swap rates or Bank Rate, something found in underwriting such as weaker accounts or a lease break, or an issue raised in the legal work. Ask the lender to explain the change in writing.
What is the difference between indicative terms and heads of terms?
Indicative terms are a first view based on what you have told the lender. Heads of terms, sometimes called credit-backed terms, have usually been reviewed by the lender’s credit team. Neither is binding, but heads of terms are the stage at which you normally pay for the valuation.
Should I compare commercial mortgage quotes on the rate?
Not on the rate alone. Compare the total of interest, fees and early repayment charges over the time you expect to keep the loan. In our example, the lowest-rate fix was cheapest over five years, but a tracker with no early repayment charge was about £14,900 cheaper if repaid after two.
Do I have to pay for a commercial mortgage valuation?
Usually, yes, and usually before the offer. The fee goes to the lender’s valuer and is rarely refunded if the loan does not go ahead. One published lender scale charges £2,150 including VAT for a property worth up to £750,000.
Can I get a commercial mortgage quote without accounts?
You can get an estimate, but not a reliable quote. Lenders base the loan size and rate on the income that will repay it. Investment loans can rely more on the rent and the lease, and some specialist lenders accept newer businesses with a larger deposit.
Do commercial mortgage brokers get paid by lenders?
Often. Many lenders pay a procuration fee, commonly a percentage of the loan, and some brokers also charge you a fee. Ask for both in writing before you proceed so you can judge any recommendation.
Bank of England: Monetary Policy Summary, September 2026, Bank Rate held at 3.75%
Bank of England: upcoming Monetary Policy Committee dates
SwapRates.co.uk: GBP SONIA swap rates, 28 October 2026 (indicative mid-market)
Mortgage Professional (MPA): swap rates and Moneyfacts average fixed rates, 5 October 2026
GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, non-residential and mixed rates
Landbay: what happens at a decision in principle, an example of company and director searches
Information Commissioner’s Office: credit files and your rights
FCA Handbook PERG 4.4: what is a regulated mortgage contract
Financial Conduct Authority: the FCA Register
Financial Conduct Authority: loan fee fraud
Lending Standards Board: the Standards of Lending Practice
Financial Ombudsman Service: which small businesses we can help
Rates, tax bands and lender criteria change. Confirm the current details with the lender, your solicitor or your accountant before relying on them.