In short: a complete mortgage file almost always needs four things — proof of identity, proof of income, proof of existing commitments, and documents for the property itself. Missing or out-of-date items in any of these four groups are the number-one reason a file gets bounced back by the bank. The checklist below covers each group, plus the extras self-employed and cross-border borrowers usually need.
Chasing these documents over email and WhatsApp is where most of a broker's time disappears. Below is the checklist we see work in practice, followed by a faster way to collect it.
1. Proof of identity and personal situation
- Valid photo ID (passport or national ID card)
- Proof of current address (recent utility bill or equivalent)
- Marital status / family situation documents where relevant
2. Proof of income
The exact set depends on the borrower's profile:
- Salaried: last 3 payslips and the most recent annual tax statement; an employment certificate or contract is often requested.
- Self-employed / freelance: the last 2–3 years of accounts or tax returns, plus recent invoices or income statements.
- Other income: pension statements, rental income, benefits — anything that supports the repayment capacity.
3. Proof of existing commitments
- Bank statements for the last 3 months across all relevant accounts
- Current loan and credit agreements (consumer loans, car finance, other mortgages)
- A credit report where the borrower's country provides one
4. The property
- The preliminary sale agreement or purchase contract
- An energy performance certificate
- Land registry / title information for the property
Extras for cross-border and expat borrowers
Cross-border files have more moving parts, and this is exactly where files stall:
- A tax identification number in the country of purchase
- Translations (sometimes certified) of foreign documents
- Bank statements from the borrower's country of residence
- Proof of the source of funds for the deposit
The faster way to collect all of this
A checklist only helps if the documents actually arrive — complete, legible, and the right version. The pattern that works:
- Compose the list from a reusable template for the borrower's profile, so nothing is forgotten.
- Send one private link. The borrower uploads from their phone, in their own language, and sees their own progress fill up — no signup, no app.
- Validate each file in one click, reject the blurry passport scan with a reason, and hand the bank a complete, organized file.
That's exactly what Dossia does for mortgage brokers — it turns this checklist into a workflow your borrowers actually complete. If you'd like to run it on a real file, request a 14-day proof of concept.
This article is general guidance. Exact requirements vary by bank and country — always confirm the current list with the lender.