No lender will force you to take out life insurance, but it is something worth thinking about seriously. If you have a mortgage and you die, that debt does not disappear. Life insurance means your family would not be left with a debt they cannot pay or have to sell the home. If you have dependants, it is one of the most straightforward financial decisions you can make. The cost is often much lower than people expect, particularly when you are younger and healthier. We will always talk through your protection options as part of the mortgage process and give you an honest view of what you actually need.

 If you have no protection in place, you would be relying on statutory sick pay (currently £116.75 per week) or any savings you have. Most people’s finances would come under serious strain within a matter of months. Critical illness cover pays out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness, which you could use to clear or reduce your mortgage. Income protection replaces a portion of your salary on an ongoing basis if you cannot work due to illness or injury. The right combination of these products gives you a financial safety net so that a health crisis does not become a housing crisis.

Life insurance pays out a lump sum when you die. Critical illness cover pays out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness such as cancer, a heart attack or a stroke. Income protection pays you a regular income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury. They cover different risks and many people benefit from having more than one in place. Which combination is right for you depends on your mortgage, your income, your family situation and any existing cover you may have through your employer. We will go through all of this with you and make sure you are not paying for things you do not need.

It varies based on your age, health, how much cover you need and the length of the policy. As a rough guide, a healthy non-smoker in their 30s could get a level of life cover that would clear a typical mortgage for somewhere in the region of £10 to £20 per month. Critical illness and income protection cost more because they pay out more frequently. The best way to get an accurate figure is to speak to one of our advisers, who can search the market and find you the most competitive premium for the cover you actually need. Our protection advice, like our mortgage advice, is completely fee-free.

No. Our advice is completely free. We get paid by the insurer when you take out a policy, so there is no cost to you for getting advice, comparing options or asking as many questions as you need. We are whole of market, which means we search across insurers to find you the right cover at the right price, rather than being tied to one provider.

In most cases, yes. A pre-existing condition might mean that a specific condition is excluded from your cover, or it may affect the premium, but it does not automatically mean you cannot get covered at all. Some insurers take a more flexible view than others, and the application process involves a health declaration so that everything is disclosed properly. We will be upfront with you about what is realistic, and we will find you the best available terms given your health history.