Contractor mortgage lenders
Mortgage lenders with contractor-friendly policies
We only use genuine contractor mortgage lenders, whose underwriters truly get contractors. We've even helped some of these lenders develop their own contractor policies.
When you apply for a contractor mortgage with us, you know you can trust these lenders. They've helped us secure mortgages for even the most complex applications.
You can now access these specialist lenders and their contractor-friendly criteria. There's no better place to start your homeownership journey than here.
Contractors can access some of these lenders’ mortgages themselves, direct. But be prepared. There’s no guarantee that in-branch advisors or call centre agents will understand contract income.
Generic advisors have always struggled with non-standard pay. And today, contract-based underwriting covers so many more ways of working. More than ever, it needs a specialist broker like us to interpret contract income for them.
This is our list of contractor-friendly mortgage lenders, compiled over 20+ years. We currently have 30+ lenders that have tailored their criteria to the flexible workforce. We’re always looking for more, and checking that those we have meet our high standards.
Use this list to decide whose criteria best optimise your income and personal situation. If you still need a little more help to decide, call or contact us. If your query is important to you, it’s important to us. Don’t be shy!
Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages offers a flexible, common-sense approach to mortgage underwriting. The lender is especially good for contractors with varied or complex circumstances, including those working multiple contracts.
Aldermore bank
Aldermore is a great mortgage lender for contractors: with longer gaps between contracts; are working up to two simultaneous contracts; are “day one” contractors; or need flexibility because of mild adverse credit.
Atom Bank
Atom Bank’s common sense approach to contractor mortgage lending tailors underwriting to each applicant’s merits. Manually underwriting this way helps Atom consider applications for each contractor type.
Bank of Ireland
‘Bespoke’ by Bank of Ireland is the lender’s mortgage offering to umbrella and limited company contractors and the self-employed. It’s ‘Five Golden Rules’ set out its extremely contractor-friendly criteria.
Barclays
Barclays, one of the ‘Big Five’ UK banks, has radically improved its self-employed mortgage lending policies. Its criteria accommodate foreign nationals, limited company, umbrella and agency contractor borrowers.
Bluestone Mortgages
Bluestone Mortgages are ideal for contractors with complex situations, going the extra mile for them, including contractors with adverse credit, inconsistent income or returning to work after a life event.
Buckinghamshire Building Society
Buckinghamshire Building Society underwrites manually, allowing the lender to consider a broad range of situations. It assesses each application on merit, supported with genuine contractor-friendly elements.
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank’s flexible, common sense underwriting approach accommodates contractors from any industry sector, inside or outside IR35, and using umbrella payroll, limited company or self-employed payment structures.
Coventry Building Society
Coventry Building Society accepts all contract workers, including limited company and umbrella day rate contractors. The lender has no restriction on employment or role type, accepting contractors from all industries.
Darlington Building Society
Darlington (DBS) has a flexible outlook on mortgage underwriting, with none of its criteria “cast in stone”. The lender considers applications from all contractor types, including foreign nationals on skilled visas.
Gen H
Gen H’s contractor-friendly policies offer, in part, easier access than many of it peers. Its income- and deposit-booster features also give first-time buyers options, allowing friends and families on the mortgage.
Halifax
Halifax was the first ‘contractor-friendly’ mortgage lender, and introduced contract-based underwriting as we know it. The bank remains a forerunner in offering affordable mortgages to independent professionals.
Hodge Bank
Hodge Bank’s recent bold steps ensure that it assesses all these contracting types on 100% of their income: first-time contractors, day rate contractors, umbrella employees, CIS contractors, and fixed-term contractors.
Kensington Mortgages
Kensington Mortgages’ flexible, inclusive contractor mortgage policy positions it as a market leader for contractors with adverse credit. It’s also one of few contractor-focused lenders operating in Northern Ireland.
Metro Bank
Metro Bank welcomes contractors from any industry sector, with no restriction on contract income (in GBP). Its revitalised approach covers many payment structures, and now considers day-one contractors for mortgages.
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide’s competitive rates and genuine understanding of contractors stand out in the market. The lender’s mortgage range works for limited company, fixed-term, umbrella, foreign national and CIS contractors.
NatWest
One of the UK’s ‘Big Five’, NatWest accommodates all contract workers, including: day-rate contractors, limited company contractors, umbrella employees, CIS workers, foreign nationals, locums, and zero-hour contractors.
Saffron Building Society
Saffron is a specialist lender with a solid reputation for supporting contractors. It also offers later-life lending, Joint Borrower/Sole Proprietor mortgages, and manual underwriting for those with credit challenges.
Skipton Building Society
Skipton’s underwriters make mortgages more accessible for more contractor types. Day-rate, umbrella, CIS and limited company contractors, inside or outside IR35, can take advantage of Skipton’s nuanced criteria.
TSB
TSB offers mortgages to day-rate, sub-, fixed/short-term, and zero-hours contractors, and agency and CIS workers. TSB’s focus on day rates gives contractors the potential to maximise their borrowing power.
Virgin Money
Virgin Money’s criteria cover many angles, and will appeal to higher-earning contractors with solid track records. Virgin welcomes contractors on a fixed rate, confirmed work schedule and firm contract duration.
The Mortgage Quest Family
Freelancer Financials is just one brand and trading style of Mortgage Quest Ltd. Across our brands, we don’t just provide mortgages for different types of contractors.
Through SelfEmployedMortgages.com, we take a broader outlook. Here, we provide mortgages for the many self-employed worker types in the UK today.
ContractorMortgages.co.uk is a brand that focuses solely on traditional contracting.
Recently, many of our limited company contractor clients have returned to PAYE employment. We’ve dealt with many of them for years, and have no wish to abandon them. For them — and anyone in full- or part-time employment — we have our parent brand, Mortgage Quest.
Access any of those sites via the links, below:
Self-Employed Mortgages
As a 100% independent broker, Self-Employed Mortgages has access to every self-employed-friendly lender on the market. No matter your payment structure — company director, sole trader, freelancer, short-term contractor — we can match your income to an appropriate lender.
Contractor Mortgages
It was a team of ex-freelancers that created the Contractor Mortgages® brand. They know the difficulty of securing competitive mortgage finance with irregular income and payment structures and little trading history. They went through the pain barrier, so you don’t have to!
Mortgage Quest Ltd.
Mortgage Quest Ltd, based in Harrow, is an independent mortgage broker, covering London and the UK. As the parent of Freelancer Financials, “MQ” relaunched predominantly to help contractors who now diversify the way they work, but can now help anyone secure their perfect mortgage.