The Will Writers

What The Will Writers does

H D Consultants, operating under brands including The Will Writers, is a UK-based, FCA-authorised financial advisory firm established in 1993 by principal Howard Reuben and headquartered in Colchester, Essex. The firm operates as a sole proprietorship (trading name of Howard Reuben) and is an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network, a trading name of Personal Touch Financial Services Ltd. The core offering spans residential mortgages, buy-to-let and bridging finance, protection insurance (life, critical illness, income protection, property), and a will writing and estate planning practice that is a member of the Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners.

The company has built a multi-brand portfolio targeting niche customer segments: Mortgages For Actors (entertainment industry), HCH Financial Services (holiday let investors), Frontline Financial Solutions (military, NHS, police, emergency services), and Property Tribes Financial Services (landlord community). Its technology stack is commodity-grade: website-based enquiry, Zoom/Teams video consultations, Signable for digital signature, Stripe for fee payments, CheckMyFile for credit reports, and Google Analytics — with no proprietary AI components.

The revenue model combines mortgage advisory commissions (typical professional client fee of £500, plus lender procuration fees), insurance commissions (no fee to client), and a free-will bundling mechanism that funds estate planning via the cross-sold mortgage or protection policy. Optional will storage is priced at £14 per Will per year. Distribution is digital-first via remote advisory, complemented by an Introducer Partner network (landlords, property investors, solicitors, estate agents) who earn commission on referred cases. The firm is small by disclosed headcount (approximately 5 employees), operates as a multi-adviser team, and serves clients nationally across the UK.

Name

The Will Writers

Legal name

Howard Reuben (trading as H D Consultants)

Website

https://thewillwriters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UK FCA-authorised mortgage, protection insurance, and will writing advisory firm, headquartered in Colchester and operating since 1993 via multiple sub-brands targeting niche customer segments including property investors, entertainment professionals, and frontline workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory and Estate Planning Services

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Debt & Structured Finance / Mortgage Brokerage (BPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG), Residential Investment Property Brokerage (SFR/Small Multifamily) (BPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Will writing services
• Estate planning
• Mortgage advisory
• Life insurance brokerage
• Buy to let finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Advisory Commission: Commission from mortgage lenders for arranging mortgage products. Typical professional client fee of £500, subject to full Fact Find discussion and research process. Fees may be more or less than this amount depending on circumstances.
2. Insurance Commission: Commission from insurance providers for arranging life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, and property insurance policies. No fees charged for insurance services.
3. Will Writing Service (Funded): Free basic Single or Mirror Will offered with every new policy or mortgage review. Normally priced up to £130 but fully funded by the company as part of bundled service offering. Optional £14 per Will per year storage fee includes unlimited future changes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The company provides UK mortgage, insurance and estate planning advisory services through its Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning practice. Its core offerings span residential and buy-to-let mortgage broking, life and property insurance brokerage, and will writing services including Lasting Powers of Attorney, property trusts and discretionary trusts. Will writing and estate planning products are not FCA-regulated and are referred to a third-party professional firm, while mortgages and insurance are arranged as an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network.

Product overview

H D Consultants is a multi-adviser FCA-authorised financial services firm offering a comprehensive suite of mortgage, protection, and estate planning products. The core offering spans residential mortgages, buy-to-let and bridging finance, life insurance (family cover, mortgage protection, critical illness), property insurance, and wills & trusts. The company operates several specialist sub-brands including Mortgages For Actors (entertainment industry), HCH Financial Services (holiday lets), Frontline Financial Solutions (military/NHS staff), and Property Tribes Financial Services (landlord community). A key differentiator is the Funded Will service offering free wills with every new policy or mortgage, linked to their Wills & Trusts Practice which is a member of the Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mortgages For Actors: Specialized mortgage and insurance service for actors, entertainment industry professionals, YouTube creators, and media personalities.
• HCH Financial Services
• Frontline Financial Solutions
• Property Tribes Financial Services
• H D Consultants Wills & Trusts Practice

Products and services

• Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Will writing and estate planning services including single and mirror (joint) wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA), property trusts, discretionary trusts, and guidance for executors, serving UK individuals and families.
• Residential Mortgages Residential mortgage advisory services including mortgage best buys, find a mortgage, and remortgage options for UK home purchases, improvements, and product transfers.
• Buy To Let and Bridging Finance Specialist buy-to-let mortgage search and bridging loan services for property investors, including limited company holiday let mortgages, HMO and portfolio refinancing.
• Life Cover and Protection Insurance Life insurance products including family cover, mortgage protection, business protection, critical illness cover, and income protection/wage protection for individuals and families.
• Property Insurance Buildings and contents insurance, renters insurance, and portfolio buildings insurance for landlords with multiple properties.
• Funded Will Free basic single or mirror will offered with every new policy or mortgage review, including an online will instruction process available on smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC. Optional Will storage costs £14 per Will per year including unlimited future changes.
• Mortgages For Actors Specialist mortgage and insurance service for actors, entertainment industry professionals, YouTube creators and media personalities, providing access to residential mortgages, buy-to-let mortgages, lifetime mortgages, commercial finance, and protection products tailored to variable income and non-standard requirements.
• HCH Financial Services Holiday let mortgage and insurance services provided in association with Holiday Cottage Handbook, supporting expat and UK-based holiday let investors with sector-specific mortgage and insurance products.
• Frontline Financial Solutions Mortgage and insurance services supporting Army, Navy, Air Force personnel, NHS staff, police, ambulance services and other frontline organisations, offering special mortgage deals, insurance services and funded will service.
• Property Tribes Financial Services Mortgage and insurance services for the Property Tribes online community of buy-to-let landlords and property professionals, originally launched as Property Tribes Bridging and expanded to include comprehensive life insurance and residential mortgage services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved one client over £500 per month on insurance policies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PRIMIS Mortgage NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH D Consultants is an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network, a trading name of Personal Touch Financial Services Ltd. PRIMIS is authorised and regulated by the FCA and is responsible for the quality of advice H D Consultants provides in relation to regulated mortgage and insurance products.
• Personal Touch Financial Services LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent network company (trading as PRIMIS Mortgage Network) authorised and regulated by the FCA. Responsible for ensuring H D Consultants meets all applicable regulatory requirements.
• Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning PractitionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH D Consultants' in-house Wills and Trusts Practice is a long-standing Member of the Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners, providing professional standards and credibility for estate planning services.
• Assured Funding LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFCA authorised commercial finance brokerage. Specialising in bridging loans, commercial mortgages, complex BTL, development finance, international and expat mortgages and specialist lending for HMOs. Recommended as professional commercial finance advisory service for property investors.
• Mortgages For ActorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary brand providing specialist mortgage and insurance service for actors and entertainment industry professionals. Co-founded by Austyn Johnson, providing access to lenders who understand variable income and ad hoc contracts.
• HCH Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup company providing holiday let mortgage and insurance services in association with Holiday Cottage Handbook. Supports expat and UK based holiday let investors.
• Frontline Financial SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup company supporting Army, Navy, Airforce personnel, NHS staff, police, ambulance services and other frontline workers with special mortgage deals and insurance services. Associated with Blue Light Card and Blue Light Card Foundation.
• Property Tribes Financial ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Property Tribes (online landlord community) to provide BTL mortgage and insurance services. Originally launched as Property Tribes Bridging in 2015.
• Concord Property Lettings and ManagementminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent, family-run lettings and management agency operating since 2007. Recommended resource for landlords with 95%+ landlord retention for over five years.
• PropertyTribes.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline landlord and investor community founded by Vanessa and Nick Warwick. One of the UK's busiest on-line landlord communities. Partners for education and best practice sharing.
• Property118.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperty finance brokerage and publisher appointed by Google News. Approximately 200,000 UK landlords and property professionals subscribe to Property118 newsfeeds. Recommended resource for property investors.
• Fiducia Wealth ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-award-winning Chartered firm based in Dedham specialising in tailored financial advice and wealth management. Collaborates with H D Consultants on informal Q&A sessions dedicated to Financial Protection.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drewberry Insurance: UK financial advisory firm specialising in life insurance, income protection, and critical illness cover, with mortgage-related protection advice. Directly comparable to H D Consultants' protection-side offering and its focus on complex or higher-value personal cases.
• London & Country Mortgages: One of the largest UK mortgage brokers, arranging residential, BTL, and remortgage products from the whole market. Directly comparable to H D Consultants as a whole-of-market mortgage intermediary serving UK consumers with adviser-led service.
• The Mortgage Hut: UK whole-of-market mortgage broker offering residential, BTL, and protection products via telephone and online advice. Closely comparable mid-sized broker model to H D Consultants with similar whole-of-market positioning.
• Mortgage Advice Bureau: National UK mortgage broker network and AIM-listed firm offering mortgage and protection advice via appointed representatives. Directly comparable business model to H D Consultants, also operating as an Appointed Representative within a larger network structure.
• Just Mortgages (Spicerhaart): Self-employed mortgage broker arm of the Spicerhaart group providing whole-of-market mortgage and protection advice across the UK. Directly comparable to H D Consultants in product scope (residential, BTL, protection) and adviser-led distribution.
• SPF Private Clients: UK mortgage broker focused on high-net-worth, complex, and large-balance mortgage cases including portfolio landlords and adverse-credit borrowers. Directly comparable to H D Consultants' specialist complex-case and high-value BTL positioning (e.g. million-pound mortgage work).
• Embrace Financial Services: UK mortgage and protection broker providing residential, BTL, and specialist lending advice including for self-employed and complex-income borrowers. Directly comparable to H D Consultants on specialist lending and self-employed mortgage focus.

Emerging players

• Trussle: Online UK mortgage and protection broker using automation to recommend and arrange residential mortgages and insurance. Competes with H D Consultants on the standard residential side while lacking its complex-case and niche-segment depth.
• Co-op Legal Services: National will writing, probate, and estate planning service provider in the UK. Comparable as the outsourced third-party capability underpinning H D Consultants' bundled Will proposition, and as a competitor if H D Consultants internalises the will-writing service.
• Habito: Digital-first UK mortgage broker offering online and adviser-assisted mortgage and remortgage services. Overlaps with H D Consultants on residential mortgage advice but competes via a technology-led model rather than traditional adviser relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hdconsultants.mortgages
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-will-writers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

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 The Will Writers