Contractor mortgage lending criteria by lender
We track 65 lenders — 60 accept contractor day-rate income, 4 case-by-case, 1 won't.
Compare at a glance
| Lender | Day-rate income | Umbrella company | Ltd company director | CIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NatWest | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Santander | Case-by-case | Case-by-case | Yes | Yes |
| Barclays | Case-by-case | Yes | Yes | No |
| Virgin Money | Yes | Yes | Yes | Case-by-case |
| Accord | Yes | Yes | Yes | Case-by-case |
| Skipton | Yes | Case-by-case | Yes | Case-by-case |
| Coventry BS | Yes | Case-by-case | Case-by-case | Case-by-case |
| Leeds BS | Yes | Case-by-case | Case-by-case | Case-by-case |
| Kensington | Yes | Case-by-case | Case-by-case | Yes |
| Metro Bank | Yes | Yes | Case-by-case | Case-by-case |
| Nationwide | Case-by-case | Yes | No | Case-by-case |
Halifax
NatWest
Santander
Barclays
Virgin Money
Accord
Skipton
Coventry BS
Leeds BS
Kensington
Metro Bank
Nationwide
Frequently asked questions
- How do lenders turn a day rate into annual income?
- Most annualise it: day rate × 5 days × 46–48 weeks. On a £400 day rate that is roughly £92,000–£96,000 of assessable income — often far more than the salary the same person earned as an employee. Lenders differ on the weeks they use.
- How much contracting history do I need?
- Twelve months is the most common requirement, but several lenders accept six, and some will use a signed contract in place of history if you moved from employment into contracting in the same line of work.
- Can umbrella and CIS contractors get mortgages?
- Yes. Several lenders assess umbrella workers on the gross contract value rather than the umbrella payslip, and CIS subcontractors on gross income — the difference between those two treatments can be worth tens of thousands in borrowing.
- How current is this lender data?
- Each lender's position is checked against its published intermediary criteria, and the review date is shown at the bottom of this page. Criteria change frequently, so always confirm with the lender or a broker before applying.
Data reviewed 2026-08-19.