Specialist whole-of-market mortgage advice for self-employed applicants, complex income, adverse credit, property investors and circumstances that don’t always fit standard lender criteria.
Why clients trust Mortgage321
CeMAP
Led by Matthew Pigrome — Founder & Principal
£0
Initial assessment — no fee unless you proceed
24/7
AI-assisted support with Molly
You don’t need to know which lender or mortgage you need. Start with what’s making your situation different.
Company directors, sole traders, contractors, dividends, retained profits or income that doesn't fit a standard calculator.
ExploreMissed payments, defaults, CCJs, payment arrangements or a mortgage application that hasn’t gone to plan.
ExploreBuy-to-let, limited company borrowing, portfolio landlords, HMO and more complex property investment.
ExploreNon-standard property, unusual transactions, bridging, refurbishment or circumstances requiring more investigation.
ExploreLater-life lending, capital raising and borrowing requirements outside the standard mortgage journey.
ExploreNot sure where your situation fits? That’s fine. Tell Matthew what you’re trying to achieve.
Discuss My CaseComplex mortgage cases need research, not guesswork. Before recommending a lender, Mortgage321 assesses your circumstances, income, credit history and property against lender criteria. Where appropriate, we discuss the case with lenders before a full application is made.
The aim is to identify lenders with genuine appetite for the case rather than simply submitting applications and hoping they fit.
Income, credit history, property and transaction are reviewed against current lender criteria — not against a generic calculator.
Where appropriate, the case is discussed with lenders before a full application is made, to identify those with genuine appetite.
You receive an adviser-led recommendation based on research — not an application submitted in the hope it fits.
Mortgage321 uses modern technology to make research, communication and administration more efficient, but your mortgage strategy and regulated recommendation are handled by an experienced mortgage adviser.
Matthew Pigrome CeMAP has more than 35 years’ experience in mortgage lending and has operated Mortgage321 since 2009, with particular experience in cases that do not fit standard lender criteria.
A selection of cases we’ve recently investigated — showing the situation, what made it difficult, how it was approached and where it stands.
The situation
A first-time buyer whose high-street calculator maxed out at £124,000 — and the lender research, 40-year term and five-year fix that got the purchase over the line.
What made it difficult
Mainstream lender calculations capped borrowing at c.£124,000 — insufficient for the purchase despite a £50,000 deposit.
How we approached it
A calculator is only one lender's answer. Specialist lender selection, a 40-year term and a five-year fixed product lifted borrowing to c.£137,000 and kept the purchase on track.
Outcome
Mortgage completed
The situation
How Mortgage321 navigated company accounts, a recent salary increase and manual underwriting to keep a £425,000 first-time buyer purchase on track.
What made it difficult
The director's current salary of c.£45,000 was recent and not fully reflected in the latest completed accounts, so lenders averaging two years produced insufficient borrowing.
How we approached it
A Decision in Principle is not a mortgage offer. Lender selection and detailed underwriting — including an Accountant's Certificate — can change the figure, and managing the case through that stage is where the value lies.
Outcome
Mortgage offer issued
The situation
A home-mover case where one year's self-employed accounts, an historic default and disputed utility arrears narrowed the lender field — and the property chain then tested the mortgage offer to its limits.
What made it difficult
One year's self-employed income combined with an historic default and disputed utility arrears — and a difficult property chain requiring repeated mortgage offer extensions and restructuring.
How we approached it
Complex cases need manual lender research and direct underwriter dialogue; keeping a mortgage offer alive through a delayed or changing chain can matter as much as securing it in the first place.
Outcome
Mortgage completed
Reviews from clients who came to Mortgage321 with circumstances that weren’t straightforward — self-employed income, previous declines, adverse credit, buy-to-let and cases other brokers had struggled to place.
I have used Mortgage321 on a number of occasions to arrange buy-to-let and HMO mortgages. Matt understands the specialist lending market extremely well and has always been able to find solutions, even when the circumstances haven’t been straightforward. The service is personal, professional and reliable, and I would happily recommend Mortgage321 to other landlords and property investors.
Webb
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-225484
Matt went above and beyond to help us with my buy to let mortgage. my circumstances required a little more thought than a standard buy to let application as I had bad credit, but he knew where to look and guided me through everything. His communication and determination were excellent. I would highly recommend Mortgage321.
Prendiville
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-PRENDIVILLE
Matt was extremely helpful throughout our remortgage process. Our circumstances weren’t completely straightforward, but he took the time to understand everything properly and found a solution that worked. Communication was excellent and we knew what was happening. We would recommend Mortgage321.
Tilley
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-TILLEY
The whole process was really well organised, and I appreciated the regular communication and guidance from start to finish. Everything went smoothly, and I felt well supported throughout.
Deberry
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-272006
The support throughout the process was really helpful. Whenever I needed clarification, my questions were answered clearly and promptly.
Omeara
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-239535
I really appreciated the attention to detail throughout the process. Everything was made to feel smooth and understandable, which took a lot of the stress away.
Learned
Mortgage321 Direct Client Review · M321-DR-669143
Specialist mortgages can be complicated. Getting started shouldn’t be.
Send us your name and contact details. You don’t need to complete a lengthy mortgage form just to speak to us.
Matthew will talk through what you’re trying to achieve and anything that may make the mortgage less straightforward.
If we can help, we’ll send you a personalised online Factfind. We’ll use information you’ve already discussed with Matthew where possible, so you don’t have to start again.
Matthew will assess your circumstances, investigate the appropriate mortgage options and explain the way forward.
Free initial conversation · No obligation · No credit search just for getting in touch
Tell Matthew what you’re trying to achieve and what is making the mortgage difficult. You don’t need to know which lender or product you need.
No obligation to proceed and no credit search simply for speaking to us.
Molly is available 24/7 for general mortgage information and guidance.
Molly doesn’t provide regulated mortgage advice.
Explore Mortgage321’s plain-English guides and tools before deciding what you’d like to do.
Plain-English mortgage guides
Explore the Knowledge CentreUseful mortgage calculators
View Mortgage CalculatorsThe mortgage rate available to you will depend on your circumstances, property, deposit and lender criteria.
View Mortgage RatesYou can give two mortgage lenders exactly the same income, deposit and financial commitments and receive two very different answers about how much you can borrow.
If your self-employed income has increased, will a mortgage lender use your latest year's figures, or average your previous years? There is no single answer that applies to every lender.
A mortgage decline can feel definitive. It often is not. The important question is why it was declined - and immediately applying elsewhere can create more problems than it solves.
Straight answers to the questions we hear most often.
Mortgage321 is a whole-of-market mortgage broker based in Colchester, Essex. Since 2009 we have helped thousands of homebuyers, homeowners and property investors across Colchester, Essex and the wider UK find the right mortgage — researching lenders across the market, not just the high street, to find a suitable mortgage for each client's individual circumstances.
What sets us apart is our unique blend of AI-powered mortgage guidance and FCA-regulated human advisers. Our AI assistant, Molly, is available 24/7 to answer your mortgage questions instantly — from affordability and deposit requirements to scheme eligibility and specialist lending criteria. When you are ready for tailored, regulated advice, our expert advisers take over, guiding you through the entire application process from start to finish.
We cover clients across 23 counties in England and Wales — from our Colchester base across Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire and the Home Counties to Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Devon, Cornwall, South Wales and North Wales, with dedicated local pages for towns across them all. We also serve clients nationwide across the whole of the UK through our fully remote, flexible service model. Whether you are a first-time buyer in Colchester, a landlord in Manchester, or looking to remortgage in Cardiff, Mortgage321 has the expertise and whole-of-market access to help.
Answers to common questions about using Mortgage321 as your mortgage broker.