UK Mortgages for Expats Living in Greece

Yes. Greece's British community is spread between Athens, the islands and the mainland coast, and it mixes people who moved for work with a much larger group who moved for the life.

Most High Street banks will not lend to non-UK residents, so the deals that work sit with specialist lenders reached through a broker.

Whether you are buying an investment property in the UK, keeping a base there or refinancing something you already own, the route is the same.

Often, yes. Retirement income is assessed differently from a salary but it is not disqualifying: pensions, drawdown and investment income can all support a mortgage where they are evidenced and reliable.

What constrains it is age rather than income. Lenders set maximum ages both at application and at the end of the term, and those limits vary widely between lenders, which makes the choice of lender matter more than it would for a younger applicant.

If a purchase is a year or two away, that is the point to find out where you stand, not after you have found the property.

Yes, comfortably. The euro sits near the top of most lenders' accepted currency lists.

Income in a foreign currency is still discounted in affordability calculations, commonly leaving 75% to 90% counted.

A UK pension paid in sterling is treated differently and better: sterling income attracts no currency discount at all, so if part of your income arrives that way, tell us early. It often does more for your borrowing figure than the euro income beside it.

Family, the return plan and investment. Many keep a base near relatives or for children at UK universities, and plenty want a property waiting for them if they eventually move back.

Others buy purely as an investment, on the reasoning that they understand the UK rental market better than any other.

A future home and a pure investment are financed differently, so tell us which yours is before we approach a lender.

Residential lending reaches 90% loan-to-value, so deposits start from around 10% of the purchase price. Buy-to-let runs to 80%, so plan on at least 20%, and more where the rental figures are tight.

Buy-to-let is assessed mainly on the property's expected rent, which lenders typically want covering the payment by at least 125% and often 145% under their stress tests, alongside a minimum personal income.

Keep the transfer trail complete for your solicitor's source-of-funds checks.

Yes to the first and no to the second. A remortgage means a new deal at the end of your current rate, or equity released from a property you already own.

Greece is two hours ahead of the UK, so calls sit comfortably inside both working days, and everything from the free initial consultation to completion runs remotely.

If your fixed rate ends within six months, start now.