The surprise has been that it's not anything to do with my ability to service the loan.
It's about how volatile the CBD apartment market is right now, & how a lot of lenders are skittish about it.
Normally a 5-10% deposit is enough to get a mortgage. I had a 10% deposit plus enough cash to pay the closing costs.
& still 2 of the lenders wanted either a 20% deposit or for me to pay additional lump sums up front (lenders mortgage insurance)