Mortgage advice that doesn't cost the earth
home buyers protection

Make sure you can keep your home - whatever life throws at you

When buying a new home or remortgaging, most of us say that our property is our biggest asset. However, that’s rarely true – normally it’s you! Even if we only consider the numbers, this becomes clear – earning £35k per year for 30 years? That’s over £1 million – more than your property is worth! What would happen if a change in your physical or mental health meant that income stopped?

Income protection is an insurance policy that acts as your own personal sick pay, providing you with a monthly payment until you can work again.

Getting this policy right really matters. We help you understand what cover you actually need, cut through the jargon, and arrange a policy with insurers that have a strong track record of paying claims.

 

Book your free consultation now

Keeping your home through the tough times

Most of us insure our cars, our phones and our holidays. We’re far less likely to insure the thing that pays for all of it, our income. Yet if you couldn’t work for six months, a year or longer, the mortgage would still need paying, and so would everything else. That’s true for all of us, but particularly if we’re single, if household income is reliant mostly on one wage, if we have children, or if we are in a highly skilled or a high risk job.

Statutory Sick Pay is currently £123.25 a week, and only for 28 weeks. If you’re employed, your employer may offer more, but often not for long. If you’re self-employed, there’s nothing at all. That gap is what income protection is designed to fill. It’s different from Critical Illness Cover and is the insurance policy we’re most likely to be able to claim on – the main reasons for claims are musculoskeletal, mental health, and hip/knee conditions. And if you need it, you’ll really need it – According to Aviva, their average claim period is over 6 years – almost none of us have savings to cover that.

A good policy pays you a tax-free monthly income (usually the majority of your take-home pay) until you recover or reach the end of the policy term. It will also come with additional health benefits such as 24/7 GP consultations, mental health and physio support, plus more – it makes sense for the insurer to help you get back to your best!

You choose how long you can wait before payments start, how long they last, and how much you would like to receive. Some policies even allow cover for unemployment – although it’s rare this would cover you for more than two years.

We’ll talk you through all you need to know in plain English, work out what you actually need, and only recommend cover that makes sense for your circumstances.

We do not charge a fee for insurance or protection advice, but we may receive a commission if you take out cover arranged through us

How you can benefit from Income Protection Cover

Replace your income

A tax-free monthly payment that keeps arriving until you can work again

Cover the mortgage

Make sure the roof over your family's head stays paid for

Protect your savings

Avoid burning through the money you've put aside for emergencies, your children or retirement

Short or long term

Choose cover that lasts one or two years, or right through to retirement. We can help you decide.

Whole of market

We search across trusted insurers, including ethical mutuals, to find cover that genuinely suits you

No commission-chasing

We recommend the policy we'd recommend to our own family, not the one that pays us the most

A real-world example

Sarah is 38, a self-employed designer with a £200,000 mortgage and two young children. Her monthly take-home is around £3,200. She’s actually at the average age for income protection claims, according to The Exter.

We arranged long-term income protection that pays her £1,900 a month, tax-free, if she can’t work due to illness or injury. Payments begin after a three-month deferred period (covered by her emergency savings) and continue until she recovers or reaches age 65.

The cost: £42 a month. About the same as her phone contract (or a rare night out), and enough to keep her family in their home if the worst happened.

Example for illustration only. Actual premiums depend on age, health, occupation and level of cover.

Book your free consultation

How it works

  1. Free first call

    We listen to your situation, your priorities and any worries you have. We work out how much of your income you’d need to replace, and for how long.

  2. Plain English recommendation

    We explain what we’re recommending and why, with no pressure. We only work with insurers that have excellent customer service and high pay-out rates – doing anything else would seem to defeat the point of taking insurance in the first place.

  3. Free second call

    To review the recommendations together, adjust to suit your budget as required, and get any final information needed for the application

  4. Handle the application

    We deal with your application making it simple and easy for you

  5. Ongoing support

    Including an annual review (circumstances change), and help with making a claim if you need to

Not sure where to start?

A quick call is normally all it takes to work out whether income protection is right for you. There’s no cost, no pressure, and no obligation.

Book your free consultation now

What customers say about us

We invite feedback from everyone we advise, so you can read genuine, unfiltered reviews

Why clients choose WR Ethical for protection

We're on your side

Independent advice, not an insurance company in disguise

No jargon

We explain every term before you sign anything

Ethical by design

B Corp certified, with values woven through every piece of advice we give

We ask the right questions

We'd rather you had the right cover for the long term (rather than us getting a quick sale)

Real people

A small Bristol team you'll actually get to know – no passing around different departments

No hidden fees

We don't charge for insurance or protection advice, ever

Meet the team who'll look after you

Friendly, experienced and based in Bristol.

Paul

Paul

Paul founded WR Ethical in 2020 to help people simplify the process of buying a home, and help people do good with their money. To him, doing this feels like a vocation, not a business.

His interest in property began in 2005 when he bought a home in Bristol that needed quite a bit of refurbishment. Around the same time, he joined a church focused on helping the local community (with lots of spare rooms to fill). A wide variety of roles and life experiences since then led him to start WR Ethical, combining his passion for property with a commitment to doing things differently.

When not thinking about helping others to buy a home, you can find Paul spending time with his family, running, cycling, walking the dog and baking.

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Mark

Mark

Mark helps mortgage customers protect their homes and families with clear, accessible advice on life insurance and personal protection.

After an early career in finance in Australia, Mark returned to the UK in 2016 and has continued building his expertise in supporting individuals and families. He takes pride in educating each person about the best options available, no matter how complex their circumstances or medical history. He’s committed to going the extra mile to find the right cover.

When Mark’s not working, he really enjoys cooking and travelling, though most of his free time is now happily spent with his energetic daughter attending tea parties and reading her favourite books.

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Matt

Matt

Matt joined WR Ethical in 2026, bringing eight years of experience working with a diverse range of clients within a small financial adviser’s practice. He particularly enjoys helping families and first-time buyers achieve their goals, guiding them through the home-buying process and doing everything he can to turn it from a potentially stressful time into an enjoyable life milestone.

Based in Yatton, Matt has existing clients all around the North Somerset area and beyond, broadening WR Ethical’s reach across the South West.

Outside of work, Matt prioritises quality time with his family, but always has a personal endurance challenge to train for. When time allows, he gets out running, cycling or hiking as much as he can.

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Conor

Conor

Conor loves guiding first time buyers and movers through one of life’s biggest financial decisions, making the process as clear and stress-free as possible.

After building his mortgage advice experience at another Bristol firm, Conor joined WR Ethical in 2025. Prior to moving into financial services, he worked in healthcare, including time as an emergency care attendant with the ambulance service. That experience taught him how to support people through challenging moments with calm, clarity and care – skills he continues to bring to his mortgage advice today.

Outside of work, Conor is a keen kickboxer who enjoys the discipline and focus the sport brings. At home, he mostly enjoys spending time with his young family, but you’ll also find him playing padel and tennis when time allows.

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Darryl

Darryl

Darryl has been helping people with their mortgages for over 20 years. He’s worked with people from all walks of life – from those buying a first home, through remortgaging and moving home, to exploring later life lending such as equity release. His extensive knowledge of lenders and their criteria means he can quickly find just the right option for you.

He joined WR Ethical in 2025 and believes mortgage advice should always be clear and easy to understand, so you feel confident to make informed choices.

When he’s not working, Darryl is raising four children, who keep life busy and fun. He also loves cooking, getting lost in a good book, and travelling whenever possible.

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Lorna

Lorna

Lorna joined WR Ethical in 2025 as an administrator and quickly made the move to qualify as an adviser, where her organisational skills and genuine love of helping people have found a natural home.

Before mortgages, Lorna spent three years in the theatre industry. It was her own house-buying experience that drew her toward the mortgage world — and she hasn’t looked back since.

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and keeping active, whether at the gym or out on a long walk.

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Jess

Jess

Jess has been helping people find a home since 2014. She’s the most organised member of the team and is brilliant at working through lots of detail to make sure your mortgage application goes as smoothly as possible, keeping track of an extraordinary number of different things at the same time.

Before pursuing her interest in mortgages and joining WR Ethical in 2022, Jess worked in a lettings agency, supporting mostly students and landlords. That experience gave her a solid understanding of the property world from multiple angles.

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FAQs

We answer some of the common questions asked about Income Protection

Still have questions?

Contact us and our team will help you get the answers you need

Get answers

It’s an insurance policy that pays you a tax-free monthly income if you can’t work due to ill health or injury. Payments usually start after a waiting period you choose, and continue until you recover, return to work, or reach the end of the policy.

Most insurers allow you to cover between 50 and 65 per cent of your gross income. As it’s tax free, it will work out as a much higher percentage of your take-home. We’ll help you work out a realistic figure for you.

 

No. Critical illness pays out if you’re diagnosed with a specific serious condition. Income protection pays a regular monthly income for a much wider range of reasons – the most common claims are for back, joint and muscle problems and mental health conditions. Many people have both types of cover.

Income protection is often more important for self-employed people, because there’s no employer sick pay to fall back on. We’ll help you choose a waiting period and benefit level that fits how your business works.

That’s up to you. Short-term policies pay out for one or two years per claim. Long-term policies pay until you recover, return to work, or reach retirement age. We’ll talk you through the difference and what each one costs.

It’s the waiting time between being unable to work and the policy starting to pay out. Common choices are 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months. Longer deferred periods mean lower premiums, and suit people with savings or employer sick pay to bridge the gap.

UK protection insurers pay the vast majority of income protection claims, typically over 95 per cent. We only recommend insurers with a strong track record on claims, and we’ll explain what you need to disclose to keep your policy valid.

Don’t assume you can’t get cover. Many conditions are accepted with standard or adjusted terms. We’ll ask the right questions, find insurers likely to offer you cover, and walk you through any exclusions.

Yes. Most policies let you increase your cover when your circumstances change, for example if you get a pay rise, take on a bigger mortgage, or have a child. We stay in touch so your cover keeps pace with your life.

Premiums depend on your age, health, occupation, the amount of cover you want, and the deferred period you choose. For many clients the monthly cost is surprisingly affordable. We’ll give you real numbers based on your situation during the free consultation.

No. We don’t charge a fee for insurance or protection advice. We’re paid by the insurer when a policy goes live, and we’ll tell you exactly what that looks like before you commit.

Book a free consultation online, or call us. We’ll have a proper conversation about your situation and only move forward if it’s right for you.

Still have questions?

Contact us and our team will help you get the answers you need

Get answers

Protect the income that protects everything else

It only takes one phone call to find out where you stand. We'll listen, explain your options, and help you decide what (if anything) you need. No pressure, no jargon, no cost.

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