Ensure you are prepared with our mortgage checklist.

1) Credit Score

Your credit score is one of the first things lenders will look at. It's best to ensure this is as high as possible before applying to a mortgage, as not only does it affect your chances are being accepted, but also impacts the interest rates you get access to.

Here's how to check your credit score for free.

Here are some tips for increasing credit score.

2) How much debt do you have?

Another thing lenders will look at is your existing amount of debt. Some types of debt looks worse than others, for example a student loan doesn't look as bad as having a large amount of debt with pay-day lenders.

Aim to decrease the amount of debt you have as much as possible before applying for a mortgage.

Here's a guide on how to reduce debt.

3) How much savings do you have?

With the cost of property skyrocketing over recent years, the deposit property buyers has to pay has also gone up. Ensure you have enough savings to pay your deposit - also, the more savings you have, the lower interest rate you will have to pay.

Here's some tips to increase savings.

4) Can you show how much you earn and how much you spend?

It's no surprise that before a lender will give you a mortgage, they need to know if you'll be able to afford to repay it. This means providing evidence of your earnings and expenditures.

For earnings, you should be able to provide an employment contract or payslips. Providing evidence for expenditures can be harder, but usually copies of your bank statements should suffice.

5) How much can you afford to pay?

This is tied into your earnings and expenditure. Lenders' main priority is to make a return on their investment. In order to do this, they need to know that you can afford to repay your mortgage. Again, bank statements should suffice, but you may need to provide additional documentation.

6) Have you registered to vote?

This is perhaps the most surprising item on this list. However, most lenders would look to see if you are on the electoral register. The reason for this is that it allows them to easily confirm you are who you say you are, and that you live where you say you live. It also allows lenders to help reduce money laundering.