Keystone Property Finance Reviews 

Being a mortgage broker, I had an amazing experience with Keystone. During the case, their response on every stage was prompt and comprehensive. I am impressed of their online portal which provide all latest information I wanted to know.

So 72 hours ago the case I had been trying get over the line for client who is Expat living in the States and buying BTL in the UK looked like it was dead in the water due to legal issues. Around 30 hrs ago in steps a guy called Mark Deboo from Keystone .Such a refreshing change talking to someone who has same ethos as me. Problems are only problems if there is absolutely no way to deal with them. This guy listened ,understood the issue's and went away to find a solution. No promises simply looked for solutions and found them by using that simple tool we sometimes see lenders forget 'Communication' & 'Common sense'. Hat's off to this guy lenders need to keep guys like this. and no Mark I now you will say it's your Job, but doing a job and doing a job well are two very different things. My thanks to you for using & employing some common sense and making other's believe it also . Common sense should be renamed rare sense as its rare you see it . This guy has it quite simply.
Thank you from me as the broker and thankyou on behalf of the client.

Keystone completed a BTL case for us where the tenancy agreement was 5 years and was let to an embassy staff member. No other lenders could help. There were some delays, however Simon Jones was quick to get involved to get the case completed.

As a mortgage broker, I've used Keystone for my customers when a case does not quite fit with other lenders. Their criteria is more open and they are always willing to look at cases outside the box.
BDM Mark Grogan is always there to help with any pre submission questions or help move a case along through underwriting.

First time using Keystone with a particularly difficult case however they were very efficient in getting this over the line. Ltd Co MUFB deal is something they prevail in. Underwriters were attentive with their updates and Simon Jones in particular was super helpful when needed to step in and expedite matters.

Keystone were able to arrange a true investment-based valuation of an HMO property for a portfolio landlord client which meant she was able to release sufficient equity for her next project. Keystone really understand complex BTL cases and the needs of portfolio landlords. Simon Jones was excellent, as always.

The whole process of obtaining an offer letter on four cases for the client was very straightforward however when we got to legals issues started to arise.
It was very refreshing that the completions team and underwriter took a very practical and professional view on the situation and got these Mortgage over the line.
A big thank you to the team.

Keystone have helped me place 3 mortgages for one client within a 5 week period and all offered within a couple of weeks. The support offered by the team was very good throughout the process.

When you are looking for a specialist lender who can handle complex and high net worth BTL property, it is often the first impressions that count.
Flash back to April 2019, about 18.00 on a Tuesday evening, I phone Keystone in the vain hope that someone might still be in the office. The phone was answered by none other than the CEO David Whittaker. We had a good chat about this case and David assured me that it was one Keystone could do "no problem at all". From that point on every contact I have had with the Keystone team has been excellent!
That particular case completed in the time frame the client wanted and everyone was happy. The only issues we had were the Solicitors that had been appointed by Keystone...they were dire and we had to keep on their case consistently.
Fast forward now to 2022.
That same case has just come to the end of its 2 year fixed rate and we have moved it across seamlessly to the Keystone variable switch to fix deal. Shortly after this process had started I had a contact from another client with a similar sized HMO...what deal could I find for him?
Again the switch to fix is such a sensibly priced product it was almost a no brainer. So after a careful check across the market for any other options that might work for the client, this case was also placed with Keystone and again it sailed through to completion with only a couple of minor delays caused by Christmas and the New Year!
From the CEO right down to the case handlers Keystone are a pleasure to deal with. Factor in an excellent BDM (Simon Jones) who will take immediate ownership of any issue and will see it through carefully and thoroughly, what more can a broker ask for?

I didn't have a straightforward buy to let case to put to Keystone and there were a number of bumps along the road, but I found Keystone, especially my BD contact Simon Jones, very helpful and responsive.

In this day and age, not everyone returns your calls, not everyone rolls up their sleeves to get involved in the difficult cases, but Simon was always there to help and support me as required and push the case through to completion.

I will have no hesitation in using Simon and Keystone again - thank you

As a Broker, I much prefer working with Lenders who manually underwrite applications as opposed to relying upon algorithms to make decisions.
I'm not against technology and Keystone use it to great effect with the Lending portal which is interactive and provides a clear line of sight on the progress of any application.
But its the human touch will ultimately matters. Apart from being able to get through to the Team in almost an instant, the underwrite in a pragmatic and sensible fashion, always looking for a solution where other Lenders all too frequently step away.
I've had such an example with one of my customers and we finally completed the transaction in December, aided also by an experienced and proactive BDM in a Mr Mark Grogan.
I will have no hesitation in using Keystone in the future.
Thankyou.
Brian Snape - Broker

If you intend to run a BTL stay away from them.

Very odd terms which are in conflict between them and not making sense under a legal point of view. When you ask clarification, just forget of an answer in a timely manner or even that they understand what you asked.

We asked permission to rent to a group of friends ( which I doubt it was even needed to ask permission) after 2 days and several email exchange they come back asking " can you confirm you want to rent to a family? "

This show the level of attention and care they apply when dealing with you.

Avoid - very poor customer service. Had their lawyer pestering me before I had accepted the mortgage offer (in which there was a major error as the fixed rate term was not as shown in the mortgage illustration) and Keystone also continued to pester me to accept this via automated reminders despite the error being worked on. Keystone’s lawyer (Blacks) is also on the make as it was much cheaper (by over £200) to get my own solicitor to represent me in this matter. There was then an issue with the property survey which led to a simple question re whether or not an indemnity policy would satisfy Keystone in this regard, but their initial response was that they would only answer this question if it was put to them by my lawyer which would have been further expense for me. In the end, after nearly 1 month of stalemate, my mortgage broker (fearing losing the balance of his fee) got an affirmative answer out of Keystone. In the end, due to an issue with the title of the property that I was buying, I decided not to proceed with this mortgage and to be honest was glad that Keystone would not be getting my money as they did not deserve it due to their very poor customer service.

Furthermore, re the property survey - Keystone charged an exorbitant £1350 for this (which could not have taken more than 2 hours to produce incl a site visit), the surveyor was asked to contact my letting agent to arrange access but ignored this request and contacted me whilst I was on holiday and Keystone clearly don't pass the property documentation (EPC, safety certs, tenancy agreement) onto either their surveyor or lawyer as my letting agent had to do double work resupplying all this information to the surveyor prior to their visit and had I continued with this process it was clear that it was all going to have to be supplied again to Keystone's solicitor, which struck me as being grossly inefficient (3 times the work for myself and my letting agent) and not at all customer centric.

At a time when many lenders are taking 30 minutes to answer a call, dealing with Keystone has been a breath of fresh air. Open and easy to access communication, fast turn around times, and pragmatic underwriting. Both I an my client are delighted with the service we received.

Our experience with Keystone is always smooth sailing and a pleasure due to our experienced BDM, Moises. Never a delay at getting back to us no matter the query, very professional and helpful throughout each case.

We've introduced a number of clients to Keystone and have been impressed by their speed of service, efficiency and commerciality in making decisions. They've continued to lend throughout lockdown and communicated well throughout. Happy to recommend them.

Avoid at all costs. They are the most difficult company to deal with. Their diligence is over the top and time consuming, they are inefficient and have zero customer service. They also charged me for extras that they shouldn't have. Terrible company