What I found in the papers

TML
Mortgage offer:
Depends if I lie by self-certifying
The verdict: Started well but deteriorated rapidly. Three and a half times my income is what I could expect, the adviser said but then the conversation swung to self-certification. "You sound like you are in a professional job. That's good," he said. "We walk a fine line here and we don't want to be stepping on the border of fraud. We are not asking you to falsify your income, but, as long as you feel comfortable putting a higher figure down [for income] that should be OK." He did his level best to persuade me to over-stretch significantly.

Purple Loans
Mortgage offer: £133,000 maximum.
The verdict: There was no messing about here. A reassuring, "you would not be able to borrow more than 3.5 times your income with us" was like a breath of fresh air.

There was a quick, basic questioning about income and deposit. Based on the fictional £7,000 I had saved, I could expect a maximum of £133,000.

But even at this modest level, it was emphasised that it was subject to a full credit check. The adviser was abrupt however and didn't really seem to care too much whether I became a customer or not.

CK Mortgages
Mortgage offer: £155,000 but could be stretched
The verdict: Once we'd got past the repetition of a "we are an independent IFA" rant, I was told I could get £144,000 without any deposit at all and a further £10,000 with 5%. With a 10% deposit and a clear credit check, possibly 20%-25% more. However, I was also told that if I found a property that was more than I could afford, I could call back. "If normal lenders won't do it," the adviser said, "we'll move on to someone else." Oh, and there would be a whopping £2,250 administration charge because they "do a lot of work for the money."

APS
Mortgage offer: Up to £171,000 but only with a 10% deposit
The verdict: This was a no-nonsense call with a belligerent adviser. On income multiples, some lenders were prepared to go up to 4.5 or five times a basic salary, he said. However, only one lender on his panel would lend to first time buyers who had a 5% deposit. The rest wouldn't touch me with a barge pole without a solid 10%, he added. With a big enough deposit they would stretch to around £170,000 against my fictional income. But this was a moot point as I had made it clear my deposit was a meagre £7,000.