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Put the problem in writing, protect any mortgage or purchase deadline, and do not act on materially conflicting advice until the broker explains which recommendation is current and why. If a clear follow-up fails, make a formal complaint to the brokerage, preserve your records, and use the regulator or ombudsman route that applies where you live.
The steps below work across many systems, but complaint deadlines, licensing rules, compensation and ombudsman access are jurisdiction-specific. The United Kingdom, Ontario and Australia examples are labelled rather than presented as universal rules.
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First, protect the mortgage and purchase timeline
A service dispute does not necessarily pause a lender’s conditions, a rate expiry or a property closing. Before debating the broker’s conduct, find out whether any date could cause financial loss or the application to lapse.
Check these dates and conditions
- Mortgage-offer, rate-lock or product-expiry date.
- Lender requests for payslips, tax records, identification, valuations or explanations.
- Conditions that must be satisfied before funds can be released.
- Purchase-contract deadlines, finance clauses and the scheduled closing or settlement date.
- Any notice period or fee for changing a product, lender or broker.
If a deadline is close, contact the lender or the directly responsible conveyancer, closing professional or settlement agent. Ask what is outstanding, who owns each action, the latest safe date and whether the offer or rate can be extended. Record the name, time and reference number. Keep this continuity work separate from your complaint: resolving a complaint may take longer than the transaction can wait.
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Send one clear written status request
Use the brokerage’s business email, client portal or published complaint channel rather than a personal messaging account. State the date of your last contact and the practical consequence of silence. Ask for a single written status update that answers every open question.
Request these six items
- Confirmation that the broker still handles your file, or the name and contact details of the person taking over.
- The application’s current stage, lender name, application or reference number and the date of the latest lender action.
- Every outstanding document or condition, who must provide it and the deadline.
- The broker’s current recommendation, including the product, rate type, term and assumptions used.
- An explanation of any conflicting statement, quote or document.
- All fees, commissions, break costs or other consequences of changing broker or lender.
Set a reply date that reflects the transaction’s urgency. There is no single worldwide legal deadline for an ordinary follow-up. A request due tomorrow may be reasonable when a rate expires this week; a longer period may be appropriate when no deadline is pending. Save the sent message, attachments and delivery confirmation. UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) consumer guidance specifically recommends explaining what happened and when, asking the firm to put matters right and keeping a record of contact.
A concise message you can adapt
Subject: Urgent written status request — mortgage application [reference]I last contacted you on [date] about [issue]. Please confirm by [reasonable date] whether you still handle my application, its current lender status and reference number, all outstanding actions and deadlines, and the recommendation you currently stand behind. Your messages on [date] and [date] appear to conflict; please explain what changed and which advice applies. Please also list any fee or consequence of changing broker or lender. My purchase/rate/offer deadline is [date].Keep the wording factual. Do not accuse the broker of dishonesty before you know whether a lender rule, changed income, new valuation or simple error explains the silence.
How to handle conflicting mortgage advice
Do not choose between materially different recommendations from memory or a hurried phone call. Ask the broker to reconcile the advice in writing while you retain both versions.
Identify exactly what changed
Quote or attach the two pieces of advice and ask whether the difference resulted from changed income, deposit, property details, credit information, lender criteria, rates, fees, timing or a misunderstanding. A recommendation can legitimately change when a lender changes its policy or a valuation arrives; the broker should still be able to identify the new fact or assumption.
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Demand a like-for-like explanation
For each option, request the rate and whether it is fixed, variable or otherwise structured; the term and repayment method; upfront, ongoing and exit fees; required conditions; risks such as payment changes or early-repayment charges; and the reason the option fits your stated priorities. Ask which recommendation is current and what would make it change again.
Do not assume that every person who calls themselves a broker is providing regulated advice, or that every country imposes the same duty. In Australia, the statutory best-interests duty applies to covered mortgage brokers when providing credit assistance. In the UK, the FCA Handbook contains recordkeeping requirements for firms within the relevant mortgage-advice rules. Those examples do not create a universal duty for brokers elsewhere.
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- What new fact was available when the second recommendation was made?
- Were the same loan amount, deposit, property and repayment horizon used in both calculations?
- Did a lender reject, amend or condition the application?
- Are commissions, lender-panel limits or other conflicts affecting the options shown?
- What total cost and payment should I expect under each option, including fees?
- What decision is required from me now, and what happens if I wait for clarification?
Until those questions are answered, avoid signing a new application, paying a non-refundable fee or withdrawing an existing application solely because a verbal recommendation changed.
Make a formal complaint to the brokerage
If the normal status request receives no answer, arrives too late or fails to explain the contradiction, escalate inside the business. Address the complaint to the brokerage’s complaints officer, principal, manager or the channel named in its disclosure documents. A formal complaint is different from another informal reminder: label it “formal complaint,” identify the outcome you seek and attach a short chronology.
Include the evidence and the remedy you want
- A dated list of calls, emails and promised callbacks.
- Copies of both conflicting recommendations, product illustrations, fee quotes and lender messages.
- The deadline or financial risk created by the delay.
- The specific correction requested, such as a written status, transfer to another adviser, refund of an avoidable fee or explanation of the recommendation.
- A request for acknowledgment and a written final response.
Send it in a way that proves delivery and keep the original files with their metadata where possible. Ontario’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) says brokerages must retain written complaints and responses for at least six years, must respond within a reasonable timeframe and should respond expeditiously to urgent complaints. Those are Ontario requirements, not Canada-wide rules.
Do not let the complaint consume the file
Ask the brokerage to assign a named backup contact while the complaint is reviewed. Separately ask the lender or closing professional to confirm whether documents can still be submitted directly. A complaint can seek accountability without becoming the only channel through which a time-sensitive application moves.
Escalate through the route in your jurisdiction
External escalation depends on your location, the firm’s authorization and the type of conduct. First check the firm’s license or authorization, internal-dispute process and the regulator’s current eligibility rules. Keep your formal complaint and the firm’s response because an ombudsman or regulator will usually ask for them.
United Kingdom
FCA consumer guidance says to tell the firm what happened and when, ask it to put things right and keep a contact record. Many complaints to authorized firms have a general eight-week response expectation, but the applicable rule can vary by complaint type and firm status; verify the current route rather than treating eight weeks as a guarantee. The Financial Ombudsman Service says to approach the business first and may be able to consider an eligible mortgage complaint, including a complaint about broker advice, if the firm does not reply or its final response is unsatisfactory. GOV.UK directs consumers to the relevant ombudsman or scheme when a company fails to respond or the response is unsatisfactory.
Ontario, Canada
FSRA publishes mortgage-brokerage complaint guidance. It expects a brokerage to respond within a reasonable timeframe and to deal promptly with an urgent matter. The six-year retention rule for written complaints and responses applies to Ontario brokerages. FSRA’s process is not a substitute for checking the lender’s own deadlines or for obtaining legal advice about a purchase contract.
Australia
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) consumer guidance through Moneysmart says to complain to the broker’s business in writing if the problem is not fixed. Use the firm’s internal dispute process, then check the current ASIC and Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) guidance for the firm’s authorization, complaint type and eligibility. ASIC’s Regulatory Guide 273 explains the best-interests duty for mortgage brokers providing covered credit assistance.
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In an ASIC media release dated 13 October 2026, Commissioner Alan Kirkland said, “When customers raise concerns about a home loan recommendation, they should expect those concerns to be considered and resolved promptly,” and, “Acting in customers best interests is fundamental to trust in the mortgage broking industry. Consumers rely on brokers to help them navigate a complex market and recommend products that meet their needs.” The review covered aggregator groups responsible for approximately two-thirds of Australian mortgage-broker representatives. That figure describes the review’s scope; it is not a rate of consumer harm, complaints or non-compliance.
Build a chronology that another professional can use
A clean record helps a replacement broker, regulator, ombudsman or lawyer understand the problem without reconstructing it from a long message thread. Use a spreadsheet or an ordinary digital folder; a paper expanding file works too.
Record each event
- Date and time, communication method and the person contacted.
- What you supplied or were told, using a short quotation where wording matters.
- The action promised, owner and deadline.
- What actually happened, including silence or a changed recommendation.
- The file name or location of the supporting document.
Keep mortgage offers, rate-lock notices, application references, lender conditions, fee disclosures, commission disclosures, complaint copies, acknowledgments and replies. FCA guidance recommends keeping a contact record, and the FCA Handbook includes mortgage-advice recordkeeping provisions for firms within the relevant UK rules. Your own chronology is not a substitute for the firm’s legal records, but it makes a missed commitment easier to demonstrate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you switch broker or get a second opinion?
Switching can reduce risk when communication has broken down, but it can also create duplicate applications, new fees or lender confusion. Before authorizing a new submission, ask the current lender whether an application is open, whether a broker-of-record change is possible and whether a new credit inquiry or valuation would be triggered.
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| Comparison point | What to verify in writing |
|---|---|
| Authorization | License or authorization in your location and membership of the applicable complaint scheme. |
| Lender access | Which lenders the adviser can access, the limits of that panel and whether your existing application can be taken over. |
| Fees and conflicts | Any borrower fee, lender-paid commission, referral payment, clawback or other conflict, with when it becomes payable. |
| Availability | A response channel, expected hours and a named backup contact. |
| Written recommendation | Rates, fees, assumptions, conditions, risks and the link between the recommendation and your stated priorities. |
| Transfer plan | Who will notify the lender, preserve documents and prevent missed conditions or duplicated credit checks. |
A second opinion is most useful when you provide the complete existing file and ask the new adviser to identify assumptions rather than simply offer a different product. Obtain written fee quotes where fees apply; Australian Moneysmart discusses this practice.
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Common failure modes and what to do
The broker replies vaguely
Reply with a numbered list and request a yes-or-no status for each item. Ask for the lender reference and outstanding-condition list, not another promise to call.
The broker says the lender is responsible
Ask the lender directly which information it can disclose to you, what remains outstanding and whether the broker is still authorized on the file. Do not assume the broker’s explanation is the lender’s position.
A rate or offer expires before clarification
Ask the lender whether an extension, re-lock or alternative product is available and record any cost. Ask the broker to explain in writing whether the delay caused the expiry. An extension is not automatic and may change pricing or conditions.
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Stop before signing additional documents, paying a new fee or withdrawing an application until you understand the consequences. Request the signed documents and calculations, then obtain independent legal or financial advice appropriate to your jurisdiction if the commitment is substantial.
The brokerage closes or stops trading
Contact the lender and check the firm’s authorization register and complaint scheme for instructions. Preserve every document and ask the lender whether a new authorized intermediary is required. A regulator or ombudsman can explain available routes, but may not be able to restore a missed purchase deadline.
What a satisfactory resolution should contain
At minimum, you should be able to identify who owns the file, the lender’s current status, the next action and deadline, the recommendation being relied on, the assumptions behind it and the fees or consequences of changing course. If the response does not answer those points, say exactly which numbered question remains unanswered in your complaint or escalation.
Keep the transaction moving while the dispute is assessed. Written facts, a controlled decision not to act on unexplained contradictions and a jurisdiction-appropriate complaint route give you the best chance of protecting both the application and your rights.
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