Bentley Holmes

What Bentley Holmes does

Bentley Holmes Ltd is a privately held, founder-controlled mortgage and protection advisory firm headquartered in Epsom, Surrey, United Kingdom. Founded in 2005 by Grant Holmes, who remains Managing Director, the firm operates as an appointed representative of Sesame Ltd under FCA regulation, with a current team of approximately five including senior mortgage and protection advisers Lloyd Edwards, Fay Gregory, Alyson Peaford, and Rachel Bates. The firm does not lend its own capital, hold client money in a product sense, or operate proprietary financial technology beyond a website-hosted mortgage calculator. Instead, it acts as an intermediary between UK consumers and a panel of mortgage lenders accessible through the Sesame network, including certain semi-exclusive products available to appointed representatives at certain times.

The core product surface spans residential mortgages (first-time buyers, home movers, and remortgage), buy-to-let mortgages across personal name, limited company, portfolio landlord, and let-to-buy structures, equity release for customers aged 55 and over, and a six-product protection suite covering critical illness, term assurance and life insurance, income protection, family income benefit, private medical cover, and business protection. The firm also introduces clients to recommended solicitors for conveyancing and will writing. Distribution is sales-led and primarily relationship-driven: the firm relies on its website as the top-of-funnel content channel, with client referrals and word-of-mouth serving as the principal demand-generation mechanic, supplemented by face-to-face and telephone advisory from the Epsom office.

Bentley Holmes earns revenue from two streams: client-paid arrangement fees of £500 for residential or buy-to-let purchases and £250 for remortgages, and commissions paid by lenders for mortgage placement. Customers are exclusively UK-based individuals and families, with the firm explicitly stating its content is intended for UK consumers only. The firm holds no external investment, is not part of a parent group, has no subsidiaries, has undertaken no disclosed acquisitions, and does not appear on any public market. Its scale commentary is consistent with a micro-advisory: 1-10 employees, UK-only operating geography, and no disclosed revenue or transaction volume figures.

Name

Bentley Holmes

Legal name

Bentley Holmes Ltd

Website

https://bentleyholmes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bentley Holmes is a privately held UK mortgage and protection advisory firm based in Epsom, Surrey, founded in 2005 by Grant Holmes. Operating as an FCA-regulated appointed representative of Sesame Ltd, it provides residential, buy-to-let, equity release, and protection advice to individual UK consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Epsom

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Arrangement Fees: Bentley Holmes charges fees for arranging mortgages. For residential purchase or buy to let purchase, the fee is £500. For residential remortgage or buy to let remortgage, the fee is £250.
2. Lender Commission: For mortgage advice, Bentley Holmes can be paid by commission from the lender in addition to or instead of charging a fee to the client.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Bentley Holmes is a UK-based mortgage and protection advisory firm that arranges residential mortgages, buy-to-let mortgages, equity release, and protection insurance products for individual customers. The firm operates as an appointed representative of Sesame Ltd, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and earns through lender commissions and client arrangement fees.

Product overview

Bentley Holmes is a UK-based mortgage and protection advisory firm offering a holistic approach to mortgage advice with access to products across the market, including semi-exclusive offerings. The company's core product portfolio consists of Residential Mortgages (first-time buyer, home mover, and remortgage products), Buy to Let Mortgages (personal name, limited company, portfolio landlord, and let-to-buy options), and Equity Release products for later life. These mortgage services are complemented by a comprehensive Protection suite including Critical Illness Cover, Term Assurance/Life Insurance, Income Protection, Family Income Benefit, Private Medical Cover, and Business Protection. The firm also provides Legal Services introductions for property conveyancing and will writing. Additional support includes a Mortgage Calculator tool and educational resources such as a Ten Step Guide to Purchasing, Buy to Let Guide, and Jargon Buster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Mortgages
• Buy to Let Mortgages
• Equity Release
• Protection Insurance
• Legal Services Introduction

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sesame LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBentley Holmes Ltd is an appointed representative of Sesame Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Sesame provides the regulatory framework and network for the firm to operate as a mortgage and protection adviser.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Sesame Bankhall Group (Sesame Ltd): The appointed-representative network under which Bentley Holmes holds its FCA authorization. An enabling platform/partner rather than direct competitor, but materially shapes the firm's product access and regulatory standing.

Emerging players

• Better.co.uk: Online UK mortgage broker focused on remortgages and buy-to-let. Comparable to Bentley Holmes on product scope but competes via a digital/online channel rather than face-to-face advice.
• Trussle: UK digital mortgage broker (now part of the John Charcol group) operating an online remortgage platform. Comparable to Bentley Holmes in serving UK remortgage customers but via an automated delivery model.
• Habito: UK digital mortgage broker/online lender offering automated mortgage advice and direct lending. Comparable as a UK mortgage intermediary targeting similar consumers but with a tech-led delivery model contrasted with Bentley Holmes' face-to-face approach.
• Tembo Money: UK mortgage broker focused on helping customers buy, remortgage, and use equity release/family-assisted schemes. Compares to Bentley Holmes as a UK mortgage intermediary serving similar consumer use cases.

Direct peers

• First Mortgage Direct: UK mortgage broker offering residential and BTL advice through whole-of-market panels. Comparable fee-based mortgage intermediary competing with Bentley Holmes for similar UK consumers.
• SPF Private Clients: UK mortgage and protection broker targeting high-net-worth, professional, and complex-case borrowers. Comparable specialist intermediary serving similar UK mortgage and protection clients as Bentley Holmes.
• London & Country Mortgages: One of the UK's largest independent mortgage brokers, offering whole-of-market residential, BTL, and equity release advice. Highly comparable to Bentley Holmes as a fee/commission mortgage advisory firm serving UK consumers.
• John Charcol: Long-established UK mortgage broker providing whole-of-market residential and BTL advice. Directly comparable as a traditional advisory competitor to Bentley Holmes.

Broad incumbents

• Mortgage Advice Bureau: AIM-listed UK mortgage and protection network with a large appointed-representative base. Operates in the same mortgage advisory category as Bentley Holmes but at much greater scale via a franchise/network model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bentley-holmes-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bentley Holmes