AGA Mortgages

AGA Mortgages: mortgage and protection advice in Hertfordshire and Essex

AGA Mortgages is a mortgage and protection advisory firm based in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, which also serves clients in Essex and, through telephone and internet services, clients in other parts of the UK. The company presents itself as a partnership formed by Alexander Groom and Emily Groom and operates as an appointed representative of Mortgage Intelligence Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under number 305330 for mortgage, insurance and consumer credit mediation activities.

Products and areas of advice

The firm's offering covers mortgages, lifetime mortgages and a range of protection solutions: life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, business protection and buildings and contents insurance. This is complemented by a referral service for trusts and wills (Trusts & Wills).

The company states that it has access to thousands of mortgage products and is not tied to any high street bank or building society, allowing it to find a solution tailored to each client. Among the circumstances it declares it handles are buying and selling property, buy-to-let mortgages, remortgaging for large landlord portfolios, mortgages for clients with adverse credit history and mortgages with complex income.

A dedicated adviser for each client

The working model described by the firm is based on a single point of contact per client, with the aim of providing a personal and continuous service from the first conversation through to completion. The company indicates that its advice combines qualifications and more than twenty years of experience in financial services.

The team

• Alex Groom, owner of AGA Mortgages, graduated in Economics in 1997 and has spent his entire career in the financial sector, including investment banking and fund management before becoming a financial adviser and founding his own company.
• Ben Edwards, based in Harlow, joined AGA Mortgages in 2015 and serves clients across the country, including first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let landlords and those needing to remortgage.
• Lee Kempthorne, based in Ware (Hertfordshire), is the most recent addition, since August 2022, and has held CeMAP accreditation in mortgage and protection advice since 2006.
• Jenny Reeves, a qualified mortgage adviser since 2016, has worked with first-time buyers and housing schemes such as shared ownership, with buy-to-let investors and large landlord portfolios, and more recently has specialised in mortgages for clients with adverse credit history and complex income.

Terms of service and regulatory framework

The firm offers a free initial 30-minute consultation via its appointment form. According to published information, its mortgage advice fees do not exceed £495 and are payable upon receipt of a mortgage offer or on completion, not upfront; the amount is confirmed in writing once a brief outline of borrowing requirements has been established. The company notes that most buy-to-let and commercial loans, as well as some bridging finance, are not regulated by the FCA, and that it will inform the client when their specific finance requirement is classed as a regulated activity.

The material includes the legal warning that your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage, and that the overall cost for comparison is 8.7% APR for someone with adverse credit, with the actual rate depending on individual circumstances. The company also indicates that if a problem cannot be resolved, the client can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Offices and contacts

Main office: 6 Vantorts Road, Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire, CM21 9NA · Phone: 01279 721706 · Email: info@agamortgages.co.uk

Alex Groom office: Phone: 07796 271801 · Email: alex.groom@agamortgages.co.uk

Jenny Reeves office: Phone: 01277 281828 · Email: jenny.reeves@agamortgages.co.uk

Ben Edwards office: Phone: 07464 971654 · Email: ben.edwards@agamortgages.co.uk

Lee Kempthorne office: Phone: 07769 676587 · Email: lee.kempthorne@agamortgages.co.uk