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Brokers warn of "unintended consequences" of Nationwide / Rightmove Property Lending Check

Journalist: Justin Moy, Contributing Editor

ended 15. May 2025

Brokers are divided on a new digital tool launched by Nationwide and Rightmove that will check the suitabilty of any given property to obtain a mortgage using Nationwide’s own lending policy. Some welcomed it while others warned about “the unintended consequences”. Views below.

11 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Craig FishVerified
Director at Lodestone Mortgages
Nationwide turning property lending criteria into a public tool is a bold move, but potentially a dangerous one. Let’s be clear: this is based solely on their criteria, and they decline more properties than most lenders. The risk? Buyers could be wrongly put off perfectly good homes simply because they don’t meet Nationwide’s narrow view. Brokers already have access to tools that assess property suitability, but even then, it’s always “subject to valuer's comments” and specific lender policies. No digital tool can replace that human judgment. This feature could end up devaluing properties, reducing interest in homes that other lenders would be happy to finance. It may create false red flags that damage confidence rather than boost it. The risk is that sellers suffer, buyers get confused, and solid homes are unfairly sidelined—just because one lender says “no.”
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Adam StilesVerified
Managing Director at Helix Financial Partners
Any innovation in an attempt to speed up a property purchase is of course welcome but I don't believe the unintended consequences of this collaboration have been thought out. Nationwide are a fantastic lender, but will have their own specific criteria when it comes to property types they are happy to lend on. This alienates all the other lenders who can lend on a much more diverse type of property. Ultimately this will impact buyers and sellers alike. Perhaps some sellers and agents will opt for alternative platforms to sell their property, while this may also have an adverse impact on sellers of property that Nationwide does not lend on.
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Pete MuglestonVerified
Mortgage Advisor & Managing Director at onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk
The danger of this tool is that it could easily mislead people about eligibility for properties they're more than suitable for. With 100+ lenders in the market, all with different policies on hundreds of things, it's tough to get a tool to be this accurate all the time. For instance, in the OMA®Engine, we track data from across the market on lender policy for all manner of property (and hundreds of other criteria). Using Nationwide as an example, we know they cap the number of stories in a building without a lift to 4 for the property to be acceptable. However, 30 other lenders will go higher, and around 10 have no limit. If Rightmove are going to offer tools for borrowers to check their eligibility, they should bloody well do it properly to ensure borrowers aren't given the wrong information at a crucial time in their mortgage journey.
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Stephen PerkinsVerified
Managing Director at Yellow Brick Mortgages
The concept of highlighting the chances of a property being suitable for a mortgage is commendable, but the concern is that with this being a link up with just one lender and likely based on their criteria alone, this could put off potential buyers as all lenders have different criteria on what properties are suitable security for them. So just because Nationwide may not like it, many lenders may find the property acceptable. Could vendors legally challenge Rightmove if this was detrimental to marketing their property unfairly?
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Harry GoodliffeVerified
Director at HTG Mortgages
This could seriously backfire. Nationwide say no to loads of cases other lenders are fine with, so if this tool uses their criteria, it’s going to flag good properties as ‘no-go’ and scare buyers off. It’s more likely to cause confusion than confidence. Smart tech? Maybe. But only if it doesn’t shut the door on homes people can actually buy.
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Justin MoyVerified
Managing Director at EHF Mortgages
What worries me about this tool is that it is based on one lender's interpretation of what is an acceptable property. What should sellers think of this if they have a property that is unusual and may not meet Nationwide's criteria, but one that would be fine with other lenders? One of the many benefits of our UK mortgage market is the wide scope of lending options for those looking to buy non-standard property, so to scare people away from buying a property just because Nationwide doesn't like it, when there could be 20 or 30 other lenders that will happily take on that purchase, and may lead to a 2-tier property market. In the case of those properties that the tool says are 'good', and those it says 'don't buy', the latter could become hard to sell with prices being reduced.
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Riz MalikVerified
Independent Financial Adviser at R3 Wealth
You could have the best tools in the market but is that going to speed up the house buying process? With purchase transactions taking 3-6 months unless conveyancing is revolutionised, I struggle to see the benefit.
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David StirlingVerified
Independent Financial Adviser at Mint Wealth
Any advancement in the industry that streamlines processes and reduces workload deserves recognition. However, this partnership may face challenges if property appraisals rely solely on the criteria of a single lender. Sellers could be left frustrated if their properties fall outside Nationwide’s parameters, potentially resulting in those listings appearing less attractive on Rightmove.
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Rob PetersVerified
Principal at Simple Fast Mortgage
Buyers have long had an idea of what they can borrow, but zero visibility on whether the property itself is actually mortgageable. Whether a property is likely to be mortgageable could help reduce wasted viewings, improve confidence, and potentially speed up transactions. In a market where time kills deals, that’s a good thing. But there are caveats. If the tool is based solely on Nationwide’s lending criteria, it won’t reflect the full lending landscape. A property deemed ‘unmortgageable’ by Nationwide could be absolutely fine for another. There’s a real risk that buyers take this as gospel and overlook properties that are still viable with other lenders. Used as part of a broader toolkit, alongside advice from a mortgage adviser who understand the nuances, this could be a useful addition. But on its own care will be needed to avoid unfairly blacklisting homes that just need a second opinion.
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Benjamin BlythVerified
Director at Houz Mortgages
This sounds great, if consumers can run the check directly from the Rightmove listing then it's brilliant. Nationwide currently have a process in place to check mortgageability of a property. This includes filling in and sending off a PDF form to the lender, and it can take a few days to turn around. If a simple check can now be done - fantastic! Whilst it's bound only to meet Nationwide's criteria, it's a good starting point and will act as a meaningful baromoter for high street lending at least. The only issue I envisage with this one, is relying on estate agents to complete the property information on their Rightmove listings. Far too often vital information is omitted - from EPC ratings, lease lengths, service charges and accurate information on things such as parking (note to estate agents - free-for-all on-street parking is not parking!). If Rightmove can make these fields compulsory for listings, before they go live, I can see this being an excellent industry feature.
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Sean Horton0
Managing Director at Respect Mortgages
This new Rightmove-Nationwide check seems helpful on paper - who wouldn't want early mortgage certainty? But there's a snag: it's based solely on Nationwide's view of what makes a good property. Perfectly mortgageable properties might be rejected despite being acceptable to dozens of other lenders. Buyers could miss opportunities, especially for unique homes where specialist lenders will be more flexible. It's probably useful for some homebuyers as a quick 'heads up' but nothing more than that.