Client Fact Find and Needs Analysis Form

This form is used to collect the facts a mortgage adviser needs to understand a client’s circumstances, objectives, and affordability position. It creates a structured record of the borrower’s household, property plans, income, liabilities, and deposit source. The output supports advice suitability and helps document why a recommendation was made.

It can be used for both, because the template includes application type, property status, loan amount requested, and term. That makes it suitable for purchase cases, remortgages, product transfers, and cases with additional borrowing. You can hide or prefill fields with conditional logic depending on the scenario.

Usually the client completes it with support from an adviser or case manager, then the adviser reviews the answers for accuracy and completeness. In some firms, the adviser fills it in during a fact-find call and sends it back for confirmation. Either way, the final record should be checked before advice is issued.

Complete it at the start of the advice process and update it whenever the client’s circumstances change before submission or recommendation. If the case runs for a long time, refresh income, expenses, employment, and deposit details so the file stays current. A stale fact find is a common reason for weak suitability evidence.

It supports responsible-lending evidence by recording income, outgoings, liabilities, and deposit source in a consistent format. It also helps with data minimization because you can collect only the fields needed for the case, rather than asking for unnecessary PII. If you collect supporting documents, add clear consent and a notice explaining what happens after submission.

Yes, and you should. Fields such as additional income, other liabilities, special requirements, and document notes are often best handled with progressive disclosure so clients only see what applies. Mark required fields clearly and avoid forcing every client through the same long path when only part of the form is relevant.

That depends on the case, but common attachments include proof of income, bank statements, ID, deposit evidence, and any supporting notes for unusual circumstances. The template includes a supporting_documents section so you can define exactly what your firm needs. Keep the list aligned to the minimum necessary principle and avoid collecting documents you will not use.

A structured form is easier to review, easier to audit, and less likely to miss key affordability or suitability details. It also reduces back-and-forth because the client sees the required fields upfront and can submit supporting documents in one flow. Ad-hoc emails tend to scatter the evidence across threads, which makes file checking slower.

Tailor the income, expense, and deposit fields to your advice scope, lender panel, and document requirements. You may also want to add conditional logic for self-employed clients, joint applications, gifted deposits, or adverse credit. Before launch, test the form for accessibility, field validation, and whether the submission notice clearly explains consent and next steps.