Isle of Man property finance: How can Enness help?

A lot has changed since 2007 when we opened the doors of our first Enness office in a challenging market amidst the wake of the Northern Rock crash. Our commitment to our clients however has remained steadfast. Even back then, Enness was born out of a commitment to fill the huge advice gap for high net worth(HNW) borrowers, particularly foreign nationals who were increasingly attracted to London property. High street banks and lenders just didn’t cater for this demographic and we recognised that our clients required a more bespoke, holistic and sometimes niche approach in order to achieve their property aspirations. 13 years on, we’re still doing exactly this – just on a much larger global stage. 

In the wake of our international office openings in Monaco, Dubai’s DIFC and Jersey – and with many more in the pipeline – we wanted to take the opportunity to remind you of who we are, what we do and how we can help you with your property financing needs – particularly in the Isle of Man.

Enness Global Mortgages is a mortgage broker – pure and simple. 

We work on your behalf to source and negotiate the best possible mortgage for you or your client’s circumstances. We work with a global network of over 300 lenders, ranging from small building societies to challenger banks, alternative lenders and global private banks.

We excel when it comes to solving complex mortgage requirements, negotiating very high value or loan to value (LTV) mortgages and working with challenging structures, individuals or scenarios.

Don’t just take our word for it; we have won ‘Best Large Mortgage Broker’ at the British Mortgage Awards in 3 out of the last 4 years, and were also awarded ‘Best Mortgage Broker’ at the Coutts Mortgage Awards in 2019.

Why are we interested in Isle of Man?

There’s no inbetween with property finance. Mortgage lending is either very easy to find (you know a banker at a bank across the road who can service your needs) or it can be a complex, unpredictable beast. And that’s where Enness steps in.

The local lenders in Isle of Man are excellent at what they do and are eternally trusted to deliver – we know them very well and have every confidence in their abilities. There is also a simple and effective marketplace for local mortgages which works perfectly. We are not here to disrupt these efficient setups, but rather to complement and enhance them for situations which don’t quite ‘fit in the box’.

We like to work in the challenging parts of the market, with high value, complex structures and individuals, where innovative solutions are needed to secure the desired result or there are intricate barriers to a client’s situation which need to be navigated with careful precision and expertise.

Enness can add something new to the community. Whether that be introducing new lenders to the island or new property finance solutions for the benefit of those in the private client adviser community. We will be consistent, present and introduce new ideas, clients and other parties to the community whenever we can.

What types of mortgage lending do we arrange?

Whether you need help with a property purchase, to refinance an existing loan to a new lender, or to release equity from an owned property, we’ve got you covered. Our mortgage offering includes:

• Residential Mortgages 
• Buy to Let Mortgages 
• Commercial Finance 
• Development Finance 
• Bridging Finance 
• Asset Finance 

Who is Enness’ typical client?

At Enness, we don’t deal with the ‘typical’. We work in the most complex part of the market and so it’s no wonder that our clients come from all backgrounds, countries and require our help and advice in all manner of situations.

In 2019 we arranged property finance for 78 different nationalities, across 12 countries internationally – the largest mortgage offer coming in at a huge £42 million.

We have helped Middle Eastern royal families, American hedge fund managers, premiership football players, international business owners, pre and post sale entrepreneurs, recent divorcees and retirees. And of course, not forgetting everybody in between!

We have no criteria, no minimum loan amount and we work tirelessly for anyone who asks us to. Often our clients have not managed to find exactly what they want elsewhere or are referred to us from a whole host of advisors and introducers who are well aware of our expertise in navigating and providing winning solutions to the most complex of cases.

Where does Enness lend?

Technically, we can arrange mortgages anywhere in the world.

Sometimes regulation restricts us from directly brokering a solution, and if that is the case, we work with our trusted partners and other firms to get the right solution for our clients regardless of their circumstances.

Our major markets can be found wherever there is a solid lending and property market with international appeal. This includes, but is not limited to:

• The UK and crown dependencies such as Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man
• France
• Monaco
• Spain and the Balearic Islands
• Portugal
• Switzerland
• Germany
• Italy
• Greece
• Prime American cities such as LA, New York and San Francisco

We have however arranged finance much further afield in locations such as the Middle East, South Africa, St Baths, Mustique and other desirable international locations.

At the crux of the matter, it all rests on whether we can find and/or convince a lender to take security and offer a loan within the region in question. If that is impossible, we will most often leverage another international property, release equity and use that to fund the purchase instead. If there is a solution to be found, you can trust in Enness to find it.

How does Enness really add value?

We specialise in the areas of the market where high profile and mainstream lenders don’t operate. This includes but is not limited to:

• High-value mortgages over £3m 
• High LTV – up to 100% in some circumstances 
• Mortgages without Assets Under Management (AUM)
• Mortgages where there is low income or serviceability
• Mortgages for non-residents or foreign nationals to the country they need finance in
• Politically exposed persons and those with checkered histories
• Complex ownership structures, Trusts and other examples
• Difficult, unusual or unique property types
• Bridging and short-term finance – especially high value and international

How does Enness work?

We are accessible, responsive, flexible and happy to be used in the following ways.

We are happy to talk through ideas, problems or plans on an informal basis, named or no-named. Do you want to know if it’s possible to do ‘x, y and z’? Simply ask us the question and our expert advisers will be on hand to help!

If you have lending terms or an offer and want to make sure they are competitive, realistic or even achievable, we will always be happy to share our thoughts – again on a named or no named basis.

If you are running an application but have concerns regarding the lender’s ability to perform, the valuation, or a legal matter, get in touch. If you would like a contingency plan we are happy to prepare options in case your chosen route isn’t the best fit – simple insurance or hedging is fine by us.

Feel free to call us only when you need to – if you are looking for a solution to something complex, high value, multi-jurisdictional or your usual sources are not prepared to help. 

Some companies, including a few global institutions use us as their preferred broker for all scenarios on a open or white labelled basis. This cuts down your time, ensures an impartial solution is given and that the entire market place is covered to deliver the best solution. This will of course take time, but this works incredibly well for specialist companies.

All you have to do is call or email us and we will then work around your schedule to suit your needs.

Meet the Isle of Man team

Victoria Barton – Associate Director

Our dedicated mortgage expert for the Isle of Man region is Victoria Barton. Vicki always puts her clients’ best interest first. She has a natural flair for building rapport and professional relationships which has allowed her to get some of our most complex deals over the line.