FR: Last year you were promoted to the head of sales role at Foundation Home Loans. How has 2025 been for you, what have been your key priorities and how do you see this expanding into 2026?
2025 has been a strong year for me and for Foundation Home Loans. On a personal level, my youngest son, Louie, was born in May, which has been great for the whole family.
In the business and my role specifically, a key aim has been to build on our service approach for brokers. A big part of that has been using the strength of our team. I wanted more direct contact between brokers and our BDMs, and we now have BDMs covering all our lending areas, from first-time buyers to large portfolio owners. This has helped provide brokers with one point of contact who understand the full range.
We have also put more focus on the complex and specialist property types that more landlords are now buying. The market has moved this way, so it has been important for us to move with it.
In 2026, the plan is to take this work further. We want to use more of our internal data to contact brokers in a smarter and more personal way, and to bring our field and phone teams together so brokers get quicker support from both.
FR: Foundation Home Loans has described its approach as a ‘simpler, smarter way of working’ for brokers. What does that really mean in practice, and how are you delivering on that promise?
Specialist lending entails more moving parts, so our aim is to strip out effort for brokers. Every case is manually underwritten, and both sales and underwriting work from the same guide. This keeps decisions clear and fast. The sales team also speak with a senior underwriter every day. They use this time to talk through the more complex cases before an application is made. It means when we say yes, it is a clear yes, with fewer delays and fewer surprises for brokers or clients.
FR: Specialist lending continues to play a vital role in both the buy-to-let and residential markets. How is Foundation Home Loans seeing demand evolve across these two areas, and what trends are shaping your current focus?
In both areas we see more clients who need specialist help to purchase or refinance.
For residential, affordability has driven demand. Many borrowers now need to use more income routes, more people on the case, or other ways to reach the loan size they need. We have seen strong take-up of our joint-borrower sole proprietor option. We have also seen more interest-only requests from people who want payments that line up better with their wider plans.
Buy-to-let has moved at both ends of the scale. We see experienced landlords expanding, but we also see first-time landlords coming into the market. A clear shift this year has been the search for stronger rental returns, which has pushed more landlords to HMOs, MUFBs and short-term letting.
FR: Limited company buy-to-let remains a major growth area for brokers and landlords alike. How is Foundation Home Loans supporting portfolio, professional, and even expat landlords with more complex circumstances?
Limited company and portfolio business sits at the heart of what we do. We work with all sizes of company set-ups, including layered SPVs within wider groups, with deposit funds often moved through inter-company loans. Our teams see these cases each day, so they are familiar with how they work.
We also deal a lot with UK nationals who live abroad but want to stay active in the UK market. Our expat range mirrors our UK range, so these clients can access the same specialist property types, including HMOs and MUFBs.
A key change this year was allowing consumer buy-to-let for expats. Before this, an expat with no other UK stock could not move ahead. Brokers told us this was a barrier, so we changed it. It has made a clear difference.
FR: On the residential side, Foundation Home Loans specialises in helping borrowers who don’t quite fit the mainstream mould. How important is this segment today, and what role does it play in your future plans?
This part of the market is central for us. Many clients fall outside high-street rules for a mix of reasons, and they need a lender that understands those needs. We keep a close watch on shifts in the market and any points where clients may face obstacles. This helps us shape our range and find more ways to support them.
FR: Technology and process efficiency are becoming increasingly important for brokers. How is Foundation Home Loans evolving its systems and sales support to make it easier for brokers to do business with you?
Our CRM helps the team manage cases and spot the right moments to contact brokers. It also makes it easier to track where a case is and who needs support.
But we know this work never stops. We want to add more progress checks across the mortgage path, so brokers have better contact and a smoother handover from the first call through to completion.
FR: And finally, on a personal note, what do you enjoy most about working in specialist lending, and what excites you most about the road ahead for Foundation Home Loans?
For me, the best part is solving a case that others could not. Our job is to find a way forward, and that builds strong trust with brokers. We work with them more closely, and that leads to better outcomes for their clients.
We have new plans to roll out in the new year and further changes coming to help us say yes to more cases in 2026. It feels like the right time to push ahead.
