UK Mortgage Lender Criteria
How 25 UK lenders assess contractor day rates, retained profit, one year's accounts, bonus, commission and foreign currency income. Verified against lenders' own published criteria in August 2026.
Lender criteria is the set of rules a lender applies to decide whose income it will use, how much of it, and on what evidence. Two lenders looking at the same borrower on the same day routinely arrive at borrowing figures more than £100,000 apart. A contractor on £500 a day is assessed at £102,500 by one lender and £130,000 by another, on identical earnings, because one uses 41 working weeks and the other uses 52.
Fox Davidson arranges residential mortgages from £250,000 across England, Scotland and Wales for borrowers whose income does not arrive as twelve identical payslips. The tables below set out what each lender publishes, so you can see where your income is recognised in full and where it is discounted.
Lender criteria is the set of rules a mortgage lender applies to decide whose income it will use, how much of it, and on what evidence. Two lenders looking at the same borrower on the same day will often arrive at borrowing figures more than £100,000 apart, not because one of them is wrong, but because they annualise, average and haircut income differently. This page sets out what 25 UK lenders actually publish, taken from their own intermediary criteria and criteria guides in August 2026.
It is written for people whose income does not arrive as twelve identical payslips: contractors on a day rate, company directors leaving profit in the business, borrowers with one year of accounts, and earners whose bonus, commission or foreign currency income is the larger half of the package. If your income is straightforward, most of this page will not apply to you.
Why does the same day rate produce different income figures at different lenders?
Because there is no standard number of working weeks in a year. Every lender that assesses contractors on a day rate multiplies that rate by a number of days and a number of weeks, and the weeks figure is a policy choice each lender makes for itself. It runs from 41 at one end to 52 at the other.
That single number decides more about a contractor's borrowing than the day rate does. A contractor earning £500 a day is assessed at £102,500 by one lender and £130,000 by another. At 4.5 times income, that is the difference between a £461,250 mortgage and a £585,000 mortgage on identical earnings.
£500 a day, five days a week, assessed income
The same contractor, the same contract, four different lender policies.
A 26.8% difference in assessed income, and around £123,750 of difference in borrowing at 4.5 times income, decided entirely by which lender the application goes to.
Contractor day rate annualisation by lender
| Lender | Weeks | Basis as published | Conditions that change the answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 41 | Day rate x 5 x 41 | Minimum £50,000 gross annualised to use the day rate route |
| Halifax | 46 | Daily rate x 5 days x 46 weeks | Uses the lower of that figure and actual payslip income |
| NatWest | 46 | Weekly contracted income x 46 | Day rate route applies above £75,000 annualised, keyed as self-employed |
| Barclays | 46 | Weekly income x 46 working weeks | Hours assumed at a maximum of 40 a week unless the contract says fewer |
| Accord | 46 | Maximum 46 weeks of the current contract | Minimum £300 a day or £50,000 a year, gaps of up to 8 weeks treated as normal |
| Virgin Money | 46 | Current contract x 46 weeks | Under £50,000 needs 2 years contracting, CIS goes down the self-employed route |
| Skipton | 46 | Daily contract rate x 5 x 46 | Pro-rated down for employment gaps over four weeks in the last 12 months |
| Aldermore | 46 | Daily or weekly rate x 46 | Applies to self-employed, day rate and CIS contractors |
| Metro Bank | 46 | Daily rate over 46 weeks on a 5 day week | Reduced where the contract restricts the borrower to fewer days |
| Pepper Money | 46 | Day rate x 5 x 46 | Uses the lower of that and the 12 month average day rate |
| Suffolk BS | 46 | Day rate x 5 days x 46 weeks | No minimum income for contractors, 3 months must remain on the contract |
| Furness BS | 46 | Daily rate over a 5 day week x 46 | Umbrella income taken as 3 payslips x 46, one year in the same industry |
| Vernon BS | 46 | 46 week multiplier | Daily basis is not published, 12 months experience, no minimum income |
| Harpenden BS | 46 | CIS vouchers annualised over 46 weeks | Applies to CIS only. IT contractors are assessed as self-employed on 2 years figures |
| Kensington | 48 | Weekly rate x 48 | Under 12 months contracting considered with an established CV |
| Bluestone | 48 | Day rate x 5 x 48 | CIS workers need a 12 month history, vouchers or SA302s |
| Vida | 48 | 48 x weekly rate | Day one contractors accepted with one year in the same line of work |
| Aldermore | 52 | Average weekly income over 3 months x 52 | Fixed term contractors only, where tax and NI are paid at source |
| Nationwide | 52 | Day rate x days worked x 52 weeks | Umbrella company route, umbrella must deduct full PAYE and NI |
NatWest, Barclays, Kensington, Vida and Virgin Money publish a weekly multiplier rather than a daily one, so a contractor working four days a week will not match a straight day rate times five calculation at those lenders. Santander, HSBC, Leeds Building Society, Together, Market Harborough, Penrith, Handelsbanken, Coutts and Investec publish no day rate formula at all, which does not mean they decline contractors, only that the figure is set case by case.
If you are a contractor, the first question is not what rate you can get. It is which lenders will use 48 or 52 weeks of your day rate rather than 41, and whether you clear their minimum contracting history. Two of the three highest multipliers sit with specialist lenders whose rates are above the high street, so the sensible comparison is total cost over the fixed period against the size of loan you actually need, not headline rate against headline rate.
Which lenders will use retained profit or share of net profit?
This is the single biggest gap between what a company director earns and what a lender will lend against. If you take a modest salary and dividends and leave the rest of the profit in the company, a lender that only counts salary and dividends will assess you on a fraction of what the business actually made. A lender that uses your share of net profit will assess you on close to the whole of it.
Fourteen of the lenders below will look past salary and dividends. Seven will not. The mechanisms are not identical, and the shareholding threshold matters: several lenders only open the net profit route above a set percentage of ownership.
| Lender | Uses profit? | How it is calculated, and the conditions |
|---|---|---|
| HSBC | Yes | Salary plus share of the last two years average net profit after corporation tax. Where the most recent year is lower than the two year average, the lower figure is used |
| Barclays | Yes | Profit after tax plus director's salary. The profit used is capped at five times the average salary and dividends over the two most recent years. Where more than 25% of trading income is non-sterling, usable profit drops to 40% |
| Coventry | Yes | At 20% shareholding or more: share of the latest year's net profit after corporation tax, excluding dividends, plus salary |
| Skipton | Yes | Average of the latest two years share of net profit after corporation tax. Dividends cannot exceed net profit on either route |
| Accord | Yes | Above 51% shareholding: salary plus share of net profits after corporation tax, using the latest year's salary and the last two years profit |
| Virgin Money | Yes | At 20% shareholding or more: two year average share of net profit after tax plus director's salary. Self-employed applications are capped at 4.49 times income |
| Metro Bank | Yes | Where every shareholder is party to the mortgage: profit before taxation plus directors remuneration. The only lender here using a pre-tax figure |
| Kensington | Yes | Share of net business profits after tax plus salary |
| Pepper Money | Yes | Majority shareholders only: share of the most recent year's trading net profit |
| Together | Yes | Salary, dividends or retained profits for limited company directors. Sole traders assessed on net profit or SA302 total income |
| Harpenden BS | Yes | Above 75% shareholding, with an accountant confirming the profits are distributable and held in liquid form. A 50% haircut is applied and the balance spread across the term |
| Vernon BS | Yes | Share of net profit after tax. Profit before corporation tax is explicitly not considered |
| Handelsbanken | Yes | Undrawn profits listed as an acceptable income type, alongside directors loan repayments and rental income |
| Market Harborough | Case by case | Affordability runs on salary and dividends as standard. Retained profits and net profits are considered case by case |
| Nationwide | No | Lower of the latest year, or the two year average, of salary and dividends |
| NatWest | No | "We will not accept income from retained profit or directors' loans". Dividends must not exceed net profit after tax |
| Santander | No | "We don't accept retained profits". Where dividends exceed net profit, the net profit figure caps the income used |
| Leeds BS | No | At 25% shareholding or more, assessed on director's salary and dividends. Net profit is requested at decision in principle but not used for affordability |
| Aldermore | No | Salary and dividends. Excluded entirely where the business recorded a net loss in the current or previous trading year, or carries losses forward |
| Bluestone | No | Salary and dividends, plus director's pension, car allowance and home office use. Net profit used for sole traders and partnership shares only |
| Vida | No | "We will consider retained profit as a source of deposit however it cannot be used as income towards affordability" |
Metro Bank's use of profit before taxation is worth reading twice. On a company making £200,000 of profit at 25% corporation tax, a pre-tax basis gives £200,000 of assessable income where an after-tax basis gives £150,000. That difference alone can move a case across a lender's affordability line.
Which lenders accept one year's accounts?
Most lenders want two full years of trading before they will lend. Twelve of the lenders we checked will work with one, but the routes are not equivalent. Some treat it as ordinary business, some run it past an underwriter individually, and some cap the loan to value in exchange.
| Lender | One year accepted? | What is required, and any cap |
|---|---|---|
| Kensington | Yes | One year trading. Affordability based on the latest year's accounts. No published LTV restriction |
| Vida | Yes | Trading under two years requires one year's evidence of income. Same wording applies to limited company directors |
| Pepper Money | Yes | Minimum trading period of 12 months for limited companies, sole traders and partnerships |
| Together | Yes | Twelve months trading. Projected income accepted after a minimum 18 months with an accountant's certificate |
| Bluestone | Yes | Under two years: latest SA302 and tax overview, or latest certified accounts. Management or draft accounts are not accepted |
| Aldermore | Yes | Under two years considered up to 90% LTV, and only on risk levels 1 to 3 |
| Suffolk BS | Yes | One year's accounts to a maximum 90% LTV, with 12 months in the same line of work beforehand |
| Harpenden BS | Yes | One year plus a projection, where previously employed in the same line of business or moved from sole trader to limited company |
| Market Harborough | Yes | Latest year's accounts, one year of projections from a chartered, certified or CIMA accountant in practice, and the latest SA302 |
| Furness BS | Yes | Between one and two years considered with evidence of a track record in a similar line of work |
| Halifax | By exception | Not automatic. Individually assessed by an underwriter, needing SA302, an accountant's projection letter, and business and personal bank statements |
| Nationwide | Named cases | Business takeover by a former employee, family business shareholders previously employed there, skilled professionals, and limited company landlords |
| NatWest | No | Two full years trading required |
| Santander | No | Two years as standard. All self-employed applications capped at 90% LTV. Above that needs three years and existing customer status |
| Coventry | No | Business owned two years minimum, latest financial year no older than 12 months at application |
| Skipton | No | Two years trading required |
| Leeds BS | No | Two years of accounts or a completed accountant's certificate covering two years |
| Virgin Money | No | Two years, with the latest accounts in date. Three years required on loans above £1m |
| Metro Bank | No | Two years trading with two years finalised figures. Uses the higher of the two or three year average |
| Vernon BS | Standard range | Standard products need 24 months or more. Twelve to 23 months routes to their complex and non-standard income range instead |
| Handelsbanken | No | Three years of tax return documentation for directors above 25% shareholding |
Aldermore and Suffolk are the two lenders publishing an explicit loan to value cap against the one year route, at 90%. Where a lender does not publish a cap it does not follow that none applies, only that the decision sits with the underwriter. We cover the evidence side of this in more detail in our guide to self-employed mortgages with one year's accounts.
Which lenders do not credit score?
A credit score is an automated decision. Your file is scored against a model, and if the score falls short the case declines without a person reading it. For a borrower with an unusual income shape, a recent move between employment and self-employment, or a thin UK credit file after years abroad, that automated decline is the whole problem. The case is not unaffordable. It is unrecognisable to the model.
Six lenders publish, in their own words, that they do not credit score and that a human underwrites the case. This is the part of the market most worth understanding if you have been declined somewhere else without an explanation that made sense.
| Lender | Published wording | What comes with it |
|---|---|---|
| Market Harborough | "We don't credit score" | Soft search at decision in principle with no footprint. A daily credit committee reviews each case on its merits. No maximum income multiple |
| Suffolk BS | "We do not credit score" | TransUnion used for reference only. No minimum income on standard applications |
| Furness BS | "The Society does not use an automated affordability model. All applications are manually underwritten by our experienced underwriters" | 4.5 times income below £80,000, 5.5 times at £80,000 and above |
| Vernon BS | "We manually underwrite every application" and "We don't use credit scoring" | 5.5 times income on both gross and net affordability. No minimum income. No maximum age at end of term |
| Harpenden BS | "Lending is not score dependant. Each case is manually underwritten and credit reports will be manually assessed by an underwriter" | Deals exclusively with intermediaries. No minimum income, full affordability assessment |
| Handelsbanken | "All cases are manually underwritten" with "direct access to decision makers, regardless of loan amount" | Self-certification of income is not permitted in any circumstances. 4.49 times used as a risk indicator rather than a hard cap |
This matters most where the asset base is strong and the drawn income is not, which we cover in our guide to asset-rich, income-poor mortgages. Coutts, Investec and Penrith do not publish a position on credit scoring either way. Coutts says only that "every case is assessed on an individual basis", which is not the same statement.
The cases that come to us after a high street decline are rarely marginal on affordability. More often the borrower has two or three income sources, a lender has recognised one of them, and the automated system has treated the rest as noise. Moving that same case to a lender that reads the accounts rather than scoring the applicant usually changes the answer, and it does so without the borrower having to earn a penny more. Knowing which lender reads and which lender scores is most of the job.
How much bonus and commission will a lender actually use?
Very few lenders use 100% of a discretionary bonus. The common structure is a full allowance where the bonus is contractual and guaranteed, and a reduced percentage where it is not, scaled by how long you can evidence it. If your package is heavily weighted towards bonus, this is the number that decides your borrowing.
| Lender | Guaranteed | Non-guaranteed treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Handelsbanken | 100% | 75% of a three year average with at least two years at the current employer, 50% of a two year average with at least one year, or 25% where there is only a one year track record |
| Market Harborough | 100% | With a three year history: capped at 75% of basic where basic is under £30,000, or 200% of basic where basic is over £30,000. Irregular bonuses drop to 50% of the three year average capped at 50% of basic |
| Suffolk BS | 100% | 75% with a track record, being two years for an annual bonus or one year for monthly and quarterly. Irregular payments 50%. Overtime and second jobs 50% |
| Furness BS | 100% | 75% for non-guaranteed bonus, commission, overtime and shift enhancements. 100% within the LA, CA, PR and FY postcode area where evidenced |
| Harpenden BS | 100% with two years evidence | 50% where less than two years can be evidenced. Commission-only applicants considered case by case with 12 months in role and two years of proofs |
| Vernon BS | Bonus accepted, percentage not published | Commission at 50%. London weighting and large town allowance at 50% |
| Penrith BS | Not published | 50% of regular bonus and commission |
Market Harborough's 200% of basic allowance is the outlier in this market, and it only applies where basic salary is above £30,000 and three years of bonus history can be evidenced. The high street lenders publish bonus percentages inconsistently or route them through affordability calculators rather than a stated rule, so we have only listed lenders whose published position could be verified.
How do lenders treat foreign currency income?
If you are paid in anything other than sterling, the lender takes exchange rate risk. Almost all of them manage it by discounting the income before it enters affordability, and the size of that discount varies by lender and often by currency.
| Lender | Haircut applied | Currencies and conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolk BS | 20% | Converted to sterling then discounted 20%. GBP, EUR, CHF, NOK, USD, CAD, SGD, HKD, AED, KWD, QAR, AUD, NZD, DKK, SEK, SAR. Expat route needs £40,000 equivalent minimum income |
| Harpenden BS | 20% or 30% | 80% of income used in EUR, CHF, USD, AUD, CAD, DKK, SEK, NOK, NZD, SGD, SAR, AED, HKD, KWD, PLN and INR. 70% used in QAR, HUF, JPY, ZAR and THB |
| Market Harborough | Not published | USD, CAD, EUR, CHF, HKD, SGD or other EU currency accepted as standard. Other currencies considered |
| Handelsbanken | Currency specific | Income and assets in any non-sterling currency must be discounted, with the rate set in a separate foreign currency product guide. EUR, DKK, NOK, SEK and USD. UK residents, sterling loans, first charge on UK residential only |
| Penrith BS | Product restricted | Dedicated foreign currency range at a maximum 80% LTV, minimum income £30,000 equivalent, loans of £50,000 to £450,000 |
| Barclays | Affects profit used | Where more than 25% of a company's trading income is non-sterling, the profit after tax usable for affordability reduces to 40% |
| Coutts | Not published | "We assess income and provide lending across a broad range of currencies". No discount published |
| Vernon BS | Not accepted | Foreign currency employment income: "unable to consider" |
More detail on structuring these cases sits on our foreign currency bonus mortgages page.
Which lenders will use RSUs and vested shares?
Only one lender in this set publishes a policy. Handelsbanken lists "Restricted Stock Units / Vested shares (as part of a benefits package)" as an acceptable income type, evidenced by an employment contract or the latest annual awards statement together with a vesting schedule. Coutts refers to assessing "carried interest and equity income" but publishes no treatment. Every other lender is silent.
Silence is not refusal. It means the answer is set by an underwriter on the individual case rather than by a published rule, and that the quality of the submission does most of the work: a clear vesting history, evidence that awards have actually vested and been sold in previous years, and a sensible view on what proportion of the package is genuinely recurring. Where a lender has no published position, the case is won or lost on how it is presented. We cover the mechanics on our RSU and stock income mortgages page.
What are the maximum income multiples?
Income multiples are a ceiling, not an entitlement. Affordability still has to pass underneath them, and on most complex income cases affordability binds first. The multiples worth knowing are the ones that come with a condition you can actually meet.
| Lender | Multiple | Condition attached |
|---|---|---|
| Market Harborough | None | No maximum income multiple. Affordability is the only constraint. Minimum loan £200,000 |
| Furness BS | 5.5x | At income of £80,000 and above. Below £80,000 the multiple is 4.5x. Subject to affordability assessment |
| Vernon BS | 5.5x | Single and joint. Assessed on both gross and net income affordability |
| Suffolk BS | 5.49x | Where one applicant earns over £75,000, or where 12 months of rent payments within 10% of the new mortgage payment can be evidenced. Otherwise 4.49x |
| Harpenden BS | 4.5x | Joint, up to four applicants. Extendable case by case through the BDM |
| Handelsbanken | 4.49x | Used as a risk indicator rather than a cap. Exceptions above 4.49x may be considered |
| Virgin Money | 4.49x | Applies where any applicant is self-employed. Rises to 5.5x on a remortgage with no additional borrowing up to 85% LTV |
| Santander | 4.45x | Standard multiple |
Penrith, Coutts and Investec publish no income multiple. Market Harborough's "no maximum" is genuine and verified, but the £200,000 minimum loan and the affordability model behind it are what decide the outcome, so it should not be read as unlimited borrowing.
How late can the mortgage term run?
Maximum age at end of term is where the manual underwriting tier separates most clearly from the high street. Several of these lenders will run a term into a borrower's eighties, but almost all of them stop counting earned income long before that point, which is the part that catches people out.
| Lender | Max age | The condition underneath it |
|---|---|---|
| Penrith BS | 102 | As published in their criteria A to Z. Confirm on the individual case before relying on it |
| Vernon BS | None | No maximum age at application or at end of term. Interest-only capped at 75 where the repayment vehicle is downsizing |
| Market Harborough | 85 | Oldest applicant, owner-occupied. No maximum age on buy to let, holiday let or short-term loans |
| Harpenden BS | No limit | But earned income is only counted to age 75. Beyond that only unearned and passive income is used. Lending in retirement capped at 70% LTV |
| Suffolk BS | 90 | Where lending above 70% LTV. Earned income counted to 70 for manual occupations and 75 otherwise. Applicants over 75 need independent legal advice |
| Furness BS | 80 | Term must end before the eldest applicant's 80th birthday. Where the term runs past retirement or 75, affordability is based on retirement income alone |
| Handelsbanken | 80 | Capital and interest. Interest-only stops at 75 at end of term. Maximum term 35 years, and the age limit cannot be exceeded |
What do private banks require?
Private banks publish very little. What they do publish is the entry threshold, and the honest summary is that two of the three set a minimum loan size well above the mainstream market, and only one publishes criteria detailed enough to plan a case around.
| Lender | Minimum loan | Published thresholds and what is actually documented |
|---|---|---|
| Coutts | £1.5m | Minimum loan for new clients should exceed £1.5m. No minimum income requirement. Assesses bonuses, carried interest and equity income. UK properties only. No LTV, multiple or age limit published |
| Investec | £1m | Minimum annual earnings of £300,000. Typically lends up to £10m and may consider higher. Up to 95% LTV depending on circumstances. UK residents, England and Wales only. Terms to 35 years capital and interest, 25 years interest-only |
| Handelsbanken | Not published | No minimum income. 75% LTV standard, 85% on the standard plus matrix. All cases manually underwritten. Accepts undrawn profits, RSUs and vested shares, directors loan repayments. Maximum four applicants. England, Wales and Scotland |
Handelsbanken and Investec both reference the FCA high net worth figures of £300,000 net income or £3m net assets. At Handelsbanken this is the regulatory route that opens the FCA high net worth rules for that case, not an entry requirement to obtain a mortgage. At Investec the £300,000 figure is a stated minimum. The two are frequently confused, including by people quoting them.
If you are working out whether you meet the FCA high net worth definition in the first place, our high net worth mortgage qualification calculator runs the income and net asset tests, including the point most borrowers get wrong: UK lenders read the net assets test to include the equity in your main residence.
Why does lender criteria change so often?
Criteria moves because lenders manage their books in real time. A lender that has taken more self-employed business than it planned will tighten the self-employed rules rather than raise its rates, because rate changes are visible to the whole market and criteria changes are not. The result is a market where the right lender for your case in March may not be the right lender in September, and where the answer you were given last year may simply no longer be true.
Three consequences follow. First, a decline is often about timing rather than the borrower. Second, comparison sites that rank lenders by rate are answering a different question from the one a complex income borrower is asking. Third, the lenders with the most useful criteria for unusual income are frequently the ones with no consumer-facing presence at all: Harpenden deals exclusively with intermediaries, and Market Harborough's new lending runs through brokers.
We keep this page current against lenders' own published criteria. Where a lender's only detailed criteria document is out of date, we leave the cell blank rather than quoting a figure that has probably moved. Two lenders were removed from this comparison for exactly that reason: one has withdrawn from new residential and buy to let lending entirely, and one publishes nothing current enough to quote.
Rates and lender criteria are subject to change. Figures correct at time of publication. Always speak to your broker for up-to-date rates and lending criteria on your specific case.
Frequently asked questions
Which lender uses the most weeks to annualise a contractor day rate?
Nationwide uses 52 weeks on its umbrella company route, and Aldermore uses 52 weeks for fixed term contractors whose tax and national insurance are paid at source. Kensington, Bluestone and Vida use 48. The majority of the market uses 46. Coventry uses 41, the lowest published figure, and requires a minimum £50,000 gross annualised income before the day rate route is available at all.
Can I get a mortgage using retained profit in my limited company?
Yes, at fourteen of the twenty-one lenders whose position we verified. HSBC, Barclays, Coventry, Skipton, Accord, Virgin Money, Metro Bank, Kensington, Pepper Money, Together, Harpenden, Vernon and Handelsbanken all use some form of net or undrawn profit, and Market Harborough considers it case by case. NatWest, Santander, Nationwide, Leeds, Aldermore, Bluestone and Vida do not. Several of the lenders that do impose a shareholding threshold, commonly 20% or 25%, and Accord requires more than 51%.
Which lenders do not use credit scoring?
Market Harborough, Suffolk, Furness, Vernon, Harpenden and Handelsbanken all publish that they do not credit score and that each case is read by an underwriter. That does not mean credit history is ignored. It means a human assesses the file rather than an automated model returning a pass or fail. For borrowers with a thin UK credit file, a recent change of employment status, or income that arrives in several forms, this is usually the difference between a decline and an offer.
Can I get a mortgage with one year's accounts?
Twelve of the lenders we checked will consider it. Kensington, Vida, Pepper Money, Together and Bluestone treat it as ordinary business. Aldermore accepts it up to 90% loan to value on its lower risk tiers, and Suffolk accepts it to 90% where you have 12 months in the same line of work beforehand. Halifax and Nationwide will do it but only by exception or in named circumstances. Market Harborough, Harpenden and Furness accept it with an accountant's projection or evidence of a track record in the same field.
How much of my bonus will a lender use?
A contractual, guaranteed bonus is generally used in full. A discretionary bonus is usually discounted, commonly to 75% where you can evidence a two or three year history and 50% where you cannot. Handelsbanken runs a four tier scale from 100% down to 25% depending on how long you have been with the employer. Market Harborough will allow a non-contractual bonus of up to 200% of basic salary where basic exceeds £30,000 and three years of history exists, which is the most generous published treatment in this market.
Do any lenders accept RSUs as income?
Handelsbanken is the only lender in this comparison that publishes a written policy, listing restricted stock units and vested shares as an acceptable income type evidenced by an employment contract or annual awards statement and a vesting schedule. Several other lenders will consider RSUs but set the treatment case by case rather than publishing a rule, so the outcome depends heavily on how the vesting history is documented and presented.
What is the maximum income multiple available in the UK?
Market Harborough publishes no maximum income multiple and lends on affordability alone, subject to a £200,000 minimum loan. Furness and Vernon publish 5.5 times, Furness only where income is £80,000 or above. Suffolk publishes 5.49 times where one applicant earns over £75,000 or where 12 months of comparable rent payments can be evidenced. On complex income cases the multiple is rarely the binding constraint. How much of your income the lender recognises usually matters more.
Do private banks publish their lending criteria?
Barely. Coutts publishes a minimum loan of £1.5m for new clients and no minimum income, but no loan to value, income multiple or age limit. Investec publishes a £1m minimum loan and a £300,000 minimum income. Handelsbanken is the exception and publishes a broker criteria guide more detailed than several building societies. Any figure you see quoted for a private bank that is not on the bank's own site should be treated with caution.
Why did one lender decline me when another offered?
Usually because the two lenders counted different amounts of the same income. A contractor assessed at 41 weeks rather than 52 loses more than a quarter of their assessed income. A director assessed on salary and dividends rather than share of net profit can lose most of what the business earned. Neither lender has made an error. They have applied different published rules to identical facts, which is why lender selection does more for a complex income case than anything else in the process.
How current is the information on this page?
Every figure was verified against the lender's own intermediary criteria page or current criteria guide in August 2026. Where a lender's only detailed document was more than 18 months old we have left the entry out rather than quote it. Criteria changes frequently and without notice, so confirm the position on your own case before relying on any figure here.
Every figure on this page is taken from the named lender's own published intermediary criteria or current criteria guide, checked in August 2026. Lender criteria changes frequently and without notice, and the published position is not a lending decision. Nothing here is a recommendation or advice on any particular lender or product. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Fox Davidson is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.