Mortgage - Life Insurance Advice

Hi Snowyseal 

I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and, although I'm not a member of this group, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

I haven't tried to get life insurance since my cancer diagnoses, so don't have any first hand experiences to offer, but you might find this information from Macmillan about mortgages when you have cancer and insurance and cancer helpful.

Hi...I'm not sure if my reply came through just now ? 

Morning. I tried to reply at the weekend, but as I had added my phone number it got rejected.oooops!!

So hello, Hope your feeling OK.I work in the mortgage/protection industry and agree it's alot to digest isn't it. You do not have to have life assurance to get the mortgage,this is completely up to you,  it is  a good idea but must also be affordable, as I guess the mortgage will be costing an arm and a leg.?

Your advisor can probably assist in getting you some cover but you must be totally honest as the life company need to know.

We use a company called Exeter , they tend to deal with the more "tricky" cases we see. 

I hope this helps you and good luck with yr 1st home ,super exciting eh !! 

Jane x

Hi Smiley,

Firstly—huge congratulations on getting to the house-buying stage! That’s such a massive milestone, especially while managing everything health-wise. I completely understand how stressful and delicate it can feel navigating life insurance and mortgages when you’ve had a cancer diagnosis hanging over your head.

I also have papillary thyroid cancer and am currently preparing for my second surgery, so while I haven’t yet applied for life insurance myself, I’ve seen quite a few people in similar situations mention this same struggle. It seems like traditional insurers (like Legal & General) often default to “no” early on after a diagnosis, especially before remission. But some folks have had better luck with specialist brokers or companies who deal specifically with people who’ve had health conditions. You might want to look into providers like The Insurance Surgery, Moneysworth, or Curated Life - they’re known for working with people who have a history of cancer and might give you more flexible options.

As for disclosing your health to your mortgage advisor: your instinct isn’t off. It’s a very personal choice. Technically, your health shouldn’t affect your mortgage application as long as your income and credit are solid, but I understand wanting to protect that process. It might help to seek a little independent financial advice so you can feel more confident navigating it.

You’re definitely not alone in feeling stuck between being honest and being cautious—it’s a tricky balance we all end up walking in one way or another. Sending you loads of luck with the mortgage (fingers crossed!) and feel free to keep us posted!

Warmly,

Butterfly Resilience 

Hi guys,

thank you so much for all of your advice its really nice knowing that I’m not alone in this ️  apologies for the late response, things got a bit hectic! 

I am awaiting a response from one more Company. I’ve been under review for a few weeks now while they compile my information, I’m hoping that’s a good sign  should that fail I’ll try  Exeter, I hadn’t heard of that one before so thank you very much for that! It’s more the mortgage protection that I’m interested in but I feel they seem to come as a package.

My mortgage advisor has been really helpful he didn’t ask for any of my medical info he’s just helped with quotes from insurance companies and I then input all the info myself. He was sweet and said I doubt it’s something you want to chat about given the stress I was under! I was accepted for my mortgage which I am very pleased about! It almost feels like it shouldn’t be happening given all the crazy stuff that’s happened in the last year and a bit! 

i will keep yous posted on what happens next! Your replies are greatly appreciated and very helpful so thank you kindly for that!

I’ve heard similar stories from friends who struggled too. One thing that helped someone I know was checking out smaller, more specialized insurers rather than big ones; they sometimes have more flexible policies. Also, I found it’s okay to keep the mortgage advisor in the loop just enough — they usually care about income and credit more than detailed health info. By the way, when I was helping a friend rent out their place, Cupertino property management — Valley Management Group, a property management company — was super helpful navigating tricky paperwork and insurance stuff.

Hi all, I thought this update would help for others in a similar situation. I have been accepted for life insurance with royal London. They were very helpful, I had to send them my most recent  medical documents, as expected. It did take a wee while to find out I was accepted as a human looks through the document instead of a bot! 

Hi Snowyseal 

That's great to read that you've got insurance now and thanks very much for taking the time to let us all know how you got on.

All the best 

Great news , keep us posted when you move in and start Yr new adventure , exciting times ahead I reckon xx