Illustrative scenario, not a real client case or a mortgage offer. Alex and Jamie Ford are fictional homeowners. Alex is a police officer who, in this imagined situation, has chosen to work fewer extra shifts to spend more time at home. Their current mortgage deal is approaching its end. They would also like to replace a tired kitchen, so two different money decisions have become tangled together.
Untangle the two requests
The first question is what options might be available for their existing mortgage balance. The second is whether borrowing more for the kitchen would be suitable and affordable. Alex and Jamie could ask for those to be considered separately. That would stop the cost of an optional project from obscuring the more immediate need to review their current deal.
They could gather the outstanding balance, remaining term, deal end date and details of any early repayment charge. A kitchen estimate belongs in a different part of the discussion, alongside whether the work could wait. Neither the age of the kitchen nor a looming mortgage date would establish that extra borrowing is the right answer.
Use the earnings pattern Alex intends to keep
Suppose Alex's previous P60 reflects a particularly busy year, while recent payslips show the reduction in overtime. Both belong in the explanation. Alex could identify when the change began and what additional work, if any, remains realistic. They should not use the old total without explaining why it no longer describes the plan.
The FCA's responsible lending rules address evidence for variable income and known or likely future changes. For Alex, the useful question would be how a lender would assess the current pattern, not how many extra shifts might briefly make the payslips look stronger. This scenario assumes no force-wide overtime policy or entitlement.
Ask what changes with each option
An adviser could explore whether a new deal with the current lender, a remortgage elsewhere or another arrangement might fit. Alex and Jamie should ask what checks, fees and conditions each possibility involves. In particular, would asking for extra money change the assessment? They should not assume that a route available for the existing balance would also cover a larger loan.
MoneyHelper's remortgaging guide explains why fees and any early repayment charges matter when comparing options. A headline rate alone would not settle their choice. Nothing in this fictional example identifies a cheaper deal or guarantees that their existing lender would offer one.
Give the kitchen its own decision
Alex and Jamie could ask which parts of the work are essential, whether a smaller repair would help and what saving towards the project would look like. If further borrowing remained under consideration, they could compare its repayments and total cost with alternatives. Extending repayment over many years should not be mistaken for making the project itself cheaper.
MoneyHelper describes a further advance as additional borrowing from the existing mortgage lender and warns that it is secured against the home. Its further advance guidance is useful background. Alex and Jamie would still need an individual assessment before deciding whether that route was appropriate or available.
Keep the family reason in view
The point of reducing overtime was more time together. A useful test would be whether a proposed monthly commitment quietly depends on Alex reversing that decision. They could begin the advice conversation with their intended working pattern and ask for the existing mortgage review to be distinguished from any optional borrowing discussion.
See police officer mortgages for the wider service. Alex and Jamie are invented, and no approval, rate or saving is claimed. This is general information, not a personal recommendation. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Sources and useful reading
- FCA: MCOB 11.6, income evidence and future changes
- MoneyHelper: comparing remortgage options and costs
- MoneyHelper: further advances and the risk of secured borrowing
General information, not a personalised recommendation. Lender criteria and scheme rules can change. No approval, rate or borrowing amount is promised in this example.
Talk through your own circumstances
Our police officer mortgages page explains the advice available and how to get in touch.
Police Officer Mortgages