I'm Jamie Alexander. I've worked in mortgages for 15 years and set up the firm in 2019. We help buyers and homeowners across the county with first homes, moves, remortgages and buy to let, and our protection advice is whole of market too. You keep the same adviser from the first call to completion, and we keep in touch when your deal comes up for renewal.
Bedfordshire is run by three councils: Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. We help in all of them, and Luton has its own page with local prices and areas.
Bedford and Kempston
The county town, with Victorian terraces near the river, family homes in Brickhill and Putnoe, and fast trains to St Pancras. The new town of Wixams to the south adds a lot of new build homes.
Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis
Luton has some of the quickest trains into London of any town near the capital, with Dunstable and Houghton Regis just along the guided busway. Mortgage advice in Luton covers the area in more detail.
Leighton Buzzard, Ampthill and Flitwick
Leighton Buzzard is on the West Coast Main Line to Euston, Flitwick is a Thameslink commuter stop and Ampthill is a sought after Georgian market town.
Biggleswade, Sandy and Arlesey
On the East Coast Main Line to King's Cross, with plenty of newer family housing and slightly lower prices than the south of the county.
First time buyers paid an average of £275,000 in Bedford and £301,000 in Central Bedfordshire. Average rents are £1,173 a month in Bedford and £1,250 in Central Bedfordshire, which keeps demand up from landlords as well as home buyers. On the Bedford average, a 5% deposit is about £16,700 and a 10% deposit about £33,400, before solicitor fees, a survey and any stamp duty.
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry and ONS), July 2026; ONS Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026.
Most of our Bedfordshire clients work in London or along the M1 for at least part of the week. The fastest trains from Bedford reach St Pancras in about 38 minutes, and Luton is quicker still. The M1 runs from junction 10 to 13, with the A1 in the east, and East West Rail is due to reach Bedford in 2028. Lenders count season tickets and other regular costs in their affordability checks, so we build them into our numbers from the start.
A mortgage is a long commitment, and a lot can change over 25 or 30 years. As a mortgage and protection adviser, we look at both together, so the cover fits the loan and your budget.
Life insurance
Pays off the mortgage, or pays your family a lump sum, if you die during the term. Many people match the cover to the mortgage balance and term.
Critical illness cover
Pays a tax free lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious illness covered by the policy, giving you money to clear or reduce the mortgage while you recover.
Income protection
Replaces part of your income if illness or injury stops you working, so the mortgage payments and bills still get paid. For many families it is the most valuable financial protection of all.
There is no obligation to take cover through us, but we will always raise it so the decision is yours.
From working out what you could borrow to getting the mortgage offer, with every step of the mortgage process explained in plain English.
Porting your current deal, borrowing more or starting again with a new lender. We work out which costs less once early repayment charges are counted.
We start looking up to six months before your current deal ends and compare a product transfer with the rest of the market. Remortgages are always fee free with us.
For landlords buying or remortgaging, in your own name or through a limited company. Lenders look at the rental income as well as your own income.
Sole traders, company directors and contractors. We know which lenders will use your latest year of figures and which want an average of two.
Missed payments, defaults or a CCJ do not always rule you out. We start by going through your credit file with you before anything is applied for.
Tight exchange deadlines, developer incentives and the extra checks lenders run on brand new homes. I spent four years as a specialist new build broker.
Life cover, critical illness cover and income protection, so the mortgage still gets paid if life takes a turn. Our protection advice is whole of market.
Written by Jamie Alexander, CeMAP qualified mortgage adviser and director of AS Mortgages
Jamie has 15 years in mortgages and founded the firm in 2019. The team has submitted over 2,500 mortgage applications and has well over 20 years of combined experience. Alexander Southwell Mortgage Services is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference 1011890. More about Jamie .
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Think carefully before securing other debts against your home.
From your initial consultation to when your mortgage completes we manage the whole process for you. We coordinate with estate agents and solicitors where necessary to keep everyone moving towards your completion date.
A free, no obligation phone or video call to discuss your goals, deposit, income, credit history and the Bedfordshire area you're buying in. This gives us everything we need to start looking at your options.
Your adviser will compare mortgage products across suitable lenders and prepare a tailored recommendation. You’ll receive an Illustration (ESIS) showing the interest rate, fees and total cost over the mortgage term so you can make an informed decision.
We can often get a Decision in Principle (DIP) the same day or within 24 hours. This is essential when making offers in competitive Bedfordshire towns like Luton, Dunstable, or Leighton Buzzard where good properties move quickly.
We’ll handle the paperwork, submit your documents to the lender, liaise on your behalf and arrange the valuation or survey. You won’t need to chase: we do that for you.
We’ll track your case through underwriting, chase solicitors and other parties if needed and keep you updated through to exchange and completion. Once you’ve got your keys we’ll diarise a review before any fixed rate ends so you’re never left on an expensive standard variable rate.
No. We are based in Romsey, Hampshire, and work with clients here by phone, video and email, which means appointments that fit around work and family.
Nobody can say for sure. The park at Kempston Hardwick is due to open in 2031 with around 8,000 permanent jobs, which could add to demand around Bedford, Kempston and Wixams over time.
Sometimes the deal from your current lender is the best option and sometimes it is not. We compare both and tell you which costs less overall. Remortgages are always fee free with us.
From a full application, an offer often arrives in two to four weeks, depending on the lender and the valuation. Having your documents ready speeds it up.
Often, yes. It depends on what happened, how long ago and whether it has been settled. We start by going through your credit file with you before anything is applied for.
