Guides
Every contractor mortgage guide we publish: day-rate, umbrella, limited-company, CIS, fixed-term and locum income, plus lender criteria.
Contractor mortgages with bad credit: why it's a two-flag problem
Can a contractor get a mortgage with bad credit? How adverse credit and contract income shrink the lender pool together, which lenders to explore, and deposit expectations.
Low-deposit mortgages for contractors: the 5%, 2% and £5k routes on day-rate income
Which lenders actually do 95% LTV on day-rate income, what the new £5k-deposit and 98% products mean for contractors, and why low-deposit is a two-gate problem when you contract.
NHS bank shift mortgages: substantive post plus bank income
How lenders treat NHS bank shift income on top of a substantive NHS post, and how bank-only staff are assessed — three different classifications, three different haircuts.
RSU and stock compensation mortgages UK: which lenders actually count them
Restricted Stock Units confuse most mortgage applications — vested vs unvested, non-GBP awards, how much of a two-year vesting history a lender wants. What's reported to work, what doesn't, and when to leave RSUs out of the application entirely.
Switching between Ltd and umbrella (or inside and outside IR35): what it does to your mortgage
The switch itself rarely kills a mortgage — the mixed history it creates does. What Ltd-to-umbrella, umbrella-to-Ltd and mid-application switches do to day-rate eligibility, and how to time the move.
Buy-to-let for contractors: personal name, SPV, and how day-rate income actually helps
BTL affordability is mostly about the rent — but your contractor income decides the minimum-income tests, top-slicing and whether an SPV limited company makes sense.
The FCA wants variable income to count for more: what CP26/18 could mean for contractors
The FCA is consulting on relaxing how lenders must assess variable and irregular income. What's actually proposed, what it could change for day-rate contractors, and what happens next.
Going permanent mid-application: does taking a perm job help or sink your mortgage?
Accepting a permanent role while your mortgage is in flight restarts underwriting — sometimes for better, often for worse. When to disclose, how probation periods bite, and how to time the switch around exchange.
How much can I borrow on my day rate? The contractor borrowing formula
Day rate × days × weeks × income multiple — every number in that chain varies by lender. The realistic borrowing range for common day rates, and how to find your own ceiling.
JBSP mortgages for contractors: borrowing with family income without sharing the deeds
Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor lets a parent or partner boost your affordability without owning the property — useful when a lender won't take your full day rate. How it works and where it bites.
Retained profits and your mortgage: borrowing on money you left in the company
Directors who draw a small salary and leave profit in the company look artificially poor to most lenders. Which income definitions fix that, the double-counting trap, and what evidence the retained-profits route needs.
Sole trader mortgages: how net-profit assessment really works
No company, no dividends — lenders assess sole traders on net profit from SA302s. How averaging works, why a declining year hurts double, the CIS exception, and one-year-trading options.
Agency worker and zero-hours contract mortgages
How lenders treat agency workers, zero-hours contracts, NHS bank staff and supply/agency teachers — verified per-lender rules, including which lenders exclude agency income outright.
Best contractor mortgage lenders 2026: a scenario-based ranking
There's no single 'best' contractor mortgage lender — the right one depends on your contract type, income, deposit and history. A transparent, scenario-based ranking drawn from our verified 13-lender panel.
CIS and construction contractor mortgages: getting your gross pay recognised
Why CIS deductions confuse mortgage lenders, which lenders will assess your gross pay and which push you into full self-employed underwriting, and what to keep on file.
Contract history and gaps: what lenders need between contracts
How much contracting history you need, how long has to be left on your current contract, and how big a gap between contracts a lender will tolerate — the rules vary sharply across the contractor-friendly panel.
Contractor mortgage declined: common reasons and what to do next
The factual reasons contractor mortgage applications get declined — history, gaps, income thresholds and lender mismatches — and legitimate next steps, without any guarantee of a different outcome.
The Contractor Mortgage Handbook 2026
The complete guide to getting a UK mortgage as a contractor — day rate, umbrella, limited company, CIS and fixed-term income, lender criteria and tools, verified against lender sources.
The Contractor Day-Rate Lottery: same rate, £27,500 income gap, £123,000 in borrowing
New analysis: a contractor on £500 a day gets an assessed income of £102,500 at one lender and £130,000 at another — identical rate, different lender, tens of thousands of pounds apart in what they can borrow. The full data.
Remortgaging as a contractor: product transfer vs a new lender
Why a product transfer with your existing lender usually skips a full reassessment, while remortgaging to a new lender means re-proving your contractor income from scratch — and what that means for timing.
How lenders turn your day rate into a mortgage
The annualisation method lenders use to turn a contractor day rate into an income figure — and why the same day rate produces very different mortgage offers depending on who you ask.
First-time contractor mortgages: buying in your first year of contracting
How lenders' contract-history requirements affect first-year contractors, which lenders have flexibility below 12 months, and how to strengthen an application with limited contracting history.
Fixed-term contract mortgages: mortgages on an FTC or rolling contract
How lenders assess fixed-term contract (FTC) employees for a mortgage — annualisation, contract history, time left on the contract, and how FTC differs from day-rate contracting.
IR35 and your mortgage: what actually changes your borrowing
Inside or outside IR35 doesn't itself change how a lender assesses your income — the payment route it pushes you down does. What that means for Nationwide, Barclays and Leeds BS, and the 2026 small-company threshold change explained straight.
IT and tech contractor mortgages: the one genuine lender carve-out
IT contractors are mostly assessed like any other day-rate contractor — except at Halifax, which reportedly waives its minimum day rate for IT contractors specifically. What that means, and why most other 'IT-friendly' lender claims don't hold up.
Limited company (PSC) contractor mortgages: day rate vs dividends
The central dilemma for PSC contractors applying for a mortgage — lenders either annualise your day rate, or assess you as self-employed on two years' salary and dividends. Which route a lender takes changes your borrowing by tens of thousands of pounds.
Locum doctor and medical contractor mortgages
How lenders treat locum doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals — why locum income usually sits on a different policy from day-rate contracting, and how to strengthen an application.
Umbrella company contractor mortgages: how lenders read your payslips
Why an umbrella contractor's mortgage income isn't simply day rate × 5 × 46 — which lenders deduct employer costs first, which use a different multiplier, and which won't day-rate umbrella income at all.