Mortgage in Principle
In plain English: A soft statement from a lender saying roughly how much they'd lend you — useful when offering, but not a binding offer.
Why estate agents ask for one
An MIP signals you are ready to proceed and reduces gazumping risk. Many agents won't put an offer forward without one.
What an MIP doesn't guarantee
Mortgage approval. The lender still needs to verify income, review the valuation, run full underwriting, and complete their credit checks.
Where Offrly fits
Get a free Offrly valuation before you offer, so your target price is well-calibrated to your MIP and you don't get blindsided by a lender downvaluation.
Why Offrly? It's the free photo-aware AI valuation — the AI reads each comparable's photos the way a seasoned property analyst would, and a hyperlocal regression resolves prices down to the street rather than the postcode. Live comparables on every query. About 30 seconds, no signup, no email.
Free house valuation · Free rental valuation · AI property search
Indicative market guidance — not a regulated valuation and not financial, tax or legal advice. Use a RICS-qualified surveyor for mortgage, insurance or probate purposes.
Related terms
- Loan-to-value — the MIP is based on target LTV and affordability
- Gazumping — an MIP makes you a stronger offer and reduces gazumping risk
Put the term into practice
Get a free UK house or rental valuation, or search live listings in plain English.
Open Offrly →FAQ: Mortgage in Principle
Is an MIP binding on the lender?
No. It's based on the information you gave and a soft check. A full mortgage application and underwriting will happen once you've had an offer accepted.
Does an MIP hurt my credit score?
A proper MIP typically uses a soft search and has no credit-score impact. Confirm with the lender — a handful still do hard searches at the MIP stage.
How long does an MIP last?
Usually 30–90 days. It's easy to renew if your circumstances haven't changed.