Option 1: Ask for a personal recommendation
Best for: People with a trusted network who've recently used a broker for a similar situation.
A personal recommendation from someone whose judgment you trust can be valuable — especially if their situation was similar to yours. The limitation is that most people's networks are small, and the broker who was brilliant for your colleague's straightforward residential purchase may not be the right fit for your complex self-employed remortgage.
Always verify: Check FCA registration and ask whether the recommended broker is whole-of-market before proceeding.
Option 2: Use a mortgage comparison site
Best for: Initial rate research to understand the market.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket, Compare the Market, and similar services show you mortgage products and rates. The limitation is they're not giving you advice — they're just showing you products. They don't help you work out which lender is most likely to accept your application, how to present your case, or which product is genuinely most suitable beyond the headline rate. For simple situations, this can be a starting point. For anything complex, it's insufficient.
Option 3: Search Google for local brokers
Best for: Those who prefer a local, face-to-face relationship.
"Mortgage broker near me" or "mortgage broker [city]" returns local firms. The challenge: you can't tell from a website whether a broker is whole-of-market, how experienced they are with your type of case, or what their fee structure is. The top results are often those spending the most on SEO, not necessarily the best brokers.
If you go this route, verify FCA registration, confirm whole-of-market access, and ask specifically about experience with your type of case before committing.
Option 4: Use your bank
Best for: Almost no one. Avoid for almost everyone.
Your bank's mortgage adviser is a tied agent — they can only offer their employer's products. You're getting advice from someone with a fundamental conflict of interest, and you're categorically not seeing the whole market. The only scenario where your bank might make sense is if they're offering a genuinely exclusive retention deal (for existing customers) that a broker has confirmed beats the whole-of-market alternatives.
Option 5: Use a mortgage broker matching service
Best for: Most people, especially those with non-standard situations.
A matching service takes your situation and matches you with an FCA-regulated, whole-of-market broker who has experience with cases like yours. Rather than spending hours researching brokers and hoping you've made the right choice, you're connected with someone already suited to your needs.
Nesto does exactly this. It takes two minutes, it's free, and the brokers we match you with are whole-of-market and FCA-regulated as a baseline. You can then speak to the matched broker before committing to anything.
The verdict
For most people, a matching service is the most efficient and reliable way to find the right mortgage broker. It eliminates the research burden, ensures you're matched with someone appropriate for your situation, and costs nothing. Personal recommendations are useful if the source situation closely matches yours. Comparison sites are useful for research but shouldn't replace advice. Using your bank is almost never the best option.