You can buy mortgage protection in several places: direct from an insurer, through a broker or adviser, from your mortgage lender, or by starting on a comparison site. Where you can buy mortgage protection insurance depends partly on the insurer, because some sell only to customers who go through an adviser. The cover itself is often a decreasing life policy, and what mortgage protection means varies by seller.

Prefer to talk it through? Leave your number on this page's form and someone from an FCA-authorised brokerage rings to look at your loan and the policies insurers could offer. Nothing is charged, and you are free to decide against buying.

What are the ways to buy mortgage protection?

MoneyHelper's guide to whether you need a financial adviser (Wayback Machine capture of 15 October 2025) says some insurance products and mortgages can be bought on price comparison websites or directly from suppliers, that specialist brokers will talk you through a range of options, and that "It's up to you whether you buy with or without advice." For a policy tied to a home loan, that leaves four routes, taken in turn below.

  • Direct from an insurer, usually through its website or a phone line.
  • Through a broker or adviser, who talks you through options and may make a recommendation.
  • From the bank or building society lending you the money.
  • Through a comparison site, which shows prices and normally passes you on to an insurer to complete the purchase.

One insurer's policy can be on sale through several of these at once, sometimes with a bank-branded version whose age or cover limits differ; comparing mortgage life insurance quotes gives an example. Which route suits a person is a matter of how much help they want, not a ranking this page makes. What the cover is and how it pays out is in how mortgage life insurance works.

Can you buy mortgage protection direct from an insurer?

Some insurers sell it to the public themselves, and each runs its own application. On the direct life insurance page Legal & General had reviewed on 1 June 2026 (read October 2026), a personalised quote takes "around 2 minutes" online, there is a free phone line, and Decreasing Life Insurance, the version shaped around a repayment mortgage, sits among the products. Aviva's direct page (WC05632 09/2026) calls its Life Insurance Plan easy to apply for online and offers quotes by phone too; on Aviva's journey you pick the amount and term, choose whether cover stays level, rises with inflation or falls in line with a repayment mortgage, and answer "a few health and lifestyle questions".

When you buy straight from an insurer, ask whether anyone is advising you or simply taking your application; the next section explains why that matters. Check which version of the terms a quote relates to before you accept it.

Not every insurer sells this way. Royal London's consumer life insurance page (undated; read 19 October 2026) lists its Advised Life Cover, which includes decreasing term cover, and says of it: "Only available through a financial adviser." For the details to have in front of you when you apply, how to get a life insurance quote covers what insurers ask for.

What does a broker or mortgage adviser do?

A broker or adviser talks you through the options and, if the firm is giving advice, recommends one. The FCA's page for firms on advised and non-advised sales (last updated September 2022) says an advised sale involves the adviser "explaining why the particular product or provider would meet the customer's demands and needs" and "giving a recommendation tailored to the customer's needs". In a non-advised sale, it says, the firm does "not make any personal recommendation" and leaves "the customer to decide how they wish to proceed".

The difference has teeth. ICOBS 5.3.1R, a rule the FCA sets for firms (handbook section last updated June 2026), says a firm "must take reasonable care to ensure the suitability of its advice for any customer who is entitled to rely upon its judgement". Buying on information alone leaves you, in MoneyHelper's words, with "fewer rights to complain or claim compensation if the product turns out to be unsuitable"; after regulated advice, an unsuitable or mis-sold product can be taken to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

On payment, the adviser guide notes that some mortgage brokers charge upfront fees for advice while others receive a flat-rate introducer's fee from the product provider, and that advisers must be clear upfront about their fees. Ask any firm how it is paid at the start. A mortgage adviser who arranges your home loan is not necessarily the person who arranges the protection, so ask whether they do both or pass you on.

Wondering how an insurer would see your loan and your health? This page's form arranges a call from a broker holding FCA authorisation, who can go through that with you. Cover for the loan payments themselves is a different product, covered in whether mortgage protection pays if you are made redundant and income protection for a mortgage.

How many insurers will an adviser look at?

It varies by firm, so ask. MoneyHelper draws the line for investment products: there, "independent" advisers cover the full range of products and providers in the market, while others offer a "restricted" service looking at a narrower range. The same passage goes on: "When you speak to an adviser, they should explain what type of financial advice they provide and, if they're restricted, what they're restricted to."

For protection, Royal London's page describes an independent financial adviser as able to give "advice on the whole market" and make a recommendation based on your needs. Whoever you speak to, three questions settle where a firm stands: which insurers can it quote from, are any left out, and is it paid by fee or by the insurer?

Can you buy mortgage protection through your lender?

Often, yes. The latest capture of MoneyHelper's guide to life insurance that we could read is from August 2025, so treat it as a dated snapshot; it listed mortgage providers among the places to get quotes and said "most offer life insurance automatically when you take out a mortgage, but you might be able to find a better deal elsewhere." For which insurer sits behind each large lender's cover, see the lender table on the comparison page.

Taking the lender's own policy is not compulsory where the FCA's tying rule applies. Under MCOB 2A.2.5R (rule dated 21 March 2016), an MCD mortgage lender may insist that the borrower holds a relevant insurance policy linked to the MCD regulated mortgage contract. Where it does, it has to accept a policy from a supplier other than its own preferred one, provided that policy gives a level of guarantee equivalent to the one the lender proposed. The rule is limited to those lenders and contracts, and how it applies to a given loan, and whether cover is needed at all, are the subject of do I need life insurance for a mortgage.

The adviser guide quoted earlier adds that mortgage advice taken directly through your lender is usually free. The loan and the protection are separate purchases, so you can arrange the cover before, alongside or after the mortgage itself.

What about comparison sites?

They show prices and details from insurers but do not sell the cover. MoneyHelper's guide to using them (Wayback Machine capture of 1 December 2025) says comparison websites "don't give 'regulated advice'", and that after you choose a product you will normally click through to an insurer's website to complete the purchase. No single site can get you quotes from every insurer, so the list you see depends on the site you use.

Sites are paid through advertising, commission when a visitor clicks through and buys, and in some cases sponsored listings that put a company at the top of the results, which is why the guide warns against assuming the first result is the best. Its view is that for more complex insurance, such as income protection, critical illness or private medical insurance, "or if you do have unusual circumstances", a financial adviser or broker who specialises in that type of insurance and can give personal regulated advice is likely to be a better option than a comparison website. What a quote needs to line up is in comparing mortgage life insurance quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy mortgage protection online?

Some insurers sell it online: Legal & General's page (reviewed June 2026) offers an online quote, and Aviva's (September 2026) an online application. A purchase that starts on a comparison site normally finishes on the insurer's website. Royal London's Advised Life Cover, by contrast, is sold only through a financial adviser.

How do I get mortgage life insurance if I already have a mortgage?

The routes above are open to people part-way through a loan. A quote is built on the cover amount and term you ask for, so the figures to have ready are what is left to repay and how many years the loan still has to run. Changing a policy you already hold is in changing mortgage protection.

Do I need to speak to a mortgage broker to get life insurance?

No. You can buy direct or through a comparison site as well as through a broker, and whether to take advice is your choice. If you already have a mortgage broker, ask whether the firm also arranges protection or refers it elsewhere.

Can I get mortgage protection with no health questions?

Aviva's direct Life Insurance Plan, for one, asks "a few health and lifestyle questions" at application. Whether any cover skips them is covered in mortgage protection with no health questions.

As a single next step, you can request a call through the form on this page. The broker who rings is FCA-authorised, will go through your mortgage and the cover you have in mind, and charges you nothing for the call. The mortgage cover guide gathers the related pages.

Sources

  • Financial Conduct Authority, Advised and non-advised sales (page for firms; last updated 21 September 2022), read 19 October 2026. fca.org.uk
  • Financial Conduct Authority, FCA Handbook, ICOBS 5.3 Advised sales (rules for firms; section last updated 26 June 2026), read 19 October 2026. handbook.fca.org.uk
  • Financial Conduct Authority, MCOB 2A.2 Tying practices in the FCA Handbook (MCOB 2A.2.5R; section dated 21 March 2016), read 19 October 2026. handbook.fca.org.uk
  • MoneyHelper, Do you need a financial adviser? (Wayback Machine capture, 15 October 2025), read 19 October 2026. Wayback Machine copy of moneyhelper.org.uk
  • MoneyHelper, How to find the best deal on your insurance using price comparison sites (Wayback Machine capture, 1 December 2025), read 19 October 2026. Wayback Machine copy of moneyhelper.org.uk
  • MoneyHelper, What is life insurance? (Wayback Machine capture of 3 August 2025, the latest available; live page not readable), read 19 October 2026. Wayback Machine copy of moneyhelper.org.uk
  • Legal & General, Life Insurance (sold direct; page marked as reviewed on 1 June 2026), read 19 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Aviva, Life insurance (sold direct; footer code WC05632 09/2026), read 19 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Royal London, consumer page Life insurance (no date shown), read 19 October 2026. royallondon.com