We care more about your clients than their credit score.
About us.
You might know us better as Ipswich Building Society – we changed our name in 2021. Want to know more about us and what we can offer your clients? You’re in the right place.
Welcome to
Suffolk Building Society.
You don’t have to be in Suffolk, to be part of Suffolk. We help intermediaries with clients located throughout England and Wales.
So, whether you are placing a case for a first time buyer or older borrower, a self builder or a casual landlord and more, we’re here and we’ve done it before. Our expert underwriters consider every application individually, so where others see numbers, we see people and we know life doesn’t come neatly packaged.
In 2021 we changed our name from Ipswich Building Society, but one thing stayed the same – our commitment to our intermediaries.
Principles
What we’re all about.
We have three simple principles when it comes to helping you and your clients.
There’s understanding in our underwriting.
Unusual business is simply business as usual.
We help brokers with all types of cases, with a range of lending solutions to support your clients’ needs.
We lend throughout England and Wales.
It’s not all about Suffolk. We go a long way to help with properties based throughout England and Wales.
Mortgage USPs
Our lending areas.
The headlines on why you should be using us.
General lending.
- Manual underwriting: option to gain pre-DIP agreement.
- Income: multiple sources used for affordability, including pension, rental, investment. 5.5x income multiple when an applicant earns £100k+.
- Overpayments: 50% ERC free on all products.
- Property: we’ll consider annexes, flats above good quality commercial
- We credit check, not credit score.
Older borrowers.
- Available on our standard range of products, up to a 40-year term with no maximum age.
- Interest only: sale and downsize up to 50% LTV (min equity £200,000). Other interest only options available, depending on your repayment vehicles.
- We’ll lend to 80% LTV for applicants borrowing into retirement, or 70% LTV if already in retirement (50% if there’s any interest only).
- We utilise pension assets as income, even if not currently being drawn – will use 80% of pension pot and divide by mortgage term.
More about later life >
Buy to let.
- BTL accepted up to 80% LTV.
- Can consider non-owner occupiers.
- We lend on regulated BTLs where family members are residing.
- No maximum age.
- First time buyer BTL accepted.
Holiday let.
- We offer up to 60 days of personal use.
- Will consider first time landlords (must be owner occupiers).
- Loans available up to 80% LTV.
- We assess the loan amount using the average rental from high, mid and low season.
- First time rental properties considered (no requirement to be currently let out).
- No maximum age.
More about holiday let >
Self build & renovation.
- For new projects, conversions, renovations and knock down & rebuilds. Includes properties where the build has started.
- Max 80% LTV for both purchase and remortgage, plus we will lend against the land value.
- Flexible stage releases.
- Upon build completion your client can switch penalty free to a retention product.
- Interest only available during the build.
- Available directly to brokers – call us to discuss your case.
More about self build >
Expat.
- For residential, buy to let and holiday let properties, with most countries of residence considered (except UN Sanctioned).
- For joint applications we can consider when only one applicant holds a British Passport (subject to British national meeting criteria and affordability requirements)
- Deposits built up in the country of residence accepted.
- BTL – most currencies accepted.
- Residential & regulated BTL– 11 currencies accepted.
- Up to 80% LTV with fixed completion fees (subject to availability).
More about expat >
New build.
- We can consider new build houses up to 95% LTV (subject to product availability), for flats up to 75% LTV in selected areas.
- We accept up to 5% builder’s incentive (minimum applicant contribution of 5%).
- Mortgage offers valid up to 6 months, 3-month extension available.
- Completion and CHAPs fees can be added at 90% LTV subject to affordability.
Shared ownership.
- Loans up to 95% of the share
- Max £500k for purchase and remortgage.
- Also available on new build flats in blocks up to 10 storeys and can consider flats above good quality commercial.
- No completion or valuation fees apply (subject to availability).
