The number of people in the UK who are self-employed is at its highest level for 40 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.  Around 4.6m people now work for themselves in this country (15% of the total working population). But while self-employment brings more freedom, it also causes more problems if you want to buy a property. If you’re self-employed it can be harder to get a mortgage as you are less likely to have a regular monthly income than if you were employed. This introduces a level of uncertainty for lenders when assessing the affordability of your loan.

The good news is that the assessment of self-employed mortgage applicants is getting generally more positive. We are not seeing a particular resistance to these applicants at present and the approach of lenders seems to be more helpful than at any point since the credit crisis began in 2008. However, the key to processing such applications smoothly and quickly is having a detailed understanding of the way in which income is defined by each individual lender, which can vary considerably.

For example, some lenders look at salary plus dividends when assessing income of limited companies, whilst others may look at the net profit of the business, which can prove more favourable for an applicant. Certain lenders may be pragmatic in their view of a limited company that is not declaring all the profits that it could afford to, whereas others take a tougher, more simplistic view. For companies that have just one year of trading accounts, one or two lenders are significantly more understanding than others.

Knowledge of this level of minutiae within criteria comes from placing self-employed mortgages on a daily basis and is not generally available to members of the public. Having the support of an independent mortgage adviser with in-depth market knowledge and excellent relationships with lenders will prove to be invaluable to self-employed applicants trying to get to grips with affordability criteria.

Example: limited company with falling third year income

Lenders usually ask to see three years’ accounts in order to assess the ongoing profitability of a business and hence the long term ability of its owner to afford a certain level of mortgage repayments. What if the company’s third year of accounts show falling income? Some lenders might take this to mean that the company has met with new competition or has ‘taken its foot off the gas.’ But perhaps what has happened is that the owner has decided to reinvest profits back into the business. In this situation, a skilled mortgage adviser will look to build a bigger picture to show the lender why this happened and why the applicant’s income will return to previous levels in the future. This is done through the provision of an accountant’s projection; once this has been presented, certain lenders may be willing to take a more positive view of the situation.

Private Finance

  • Established in 1999 Private Finance has successfully negotiated billions of pounds of mortgages. It is an independent mortgage broker whose mission is to exceed your expectations, working on your behalf to procure competitive terms and a suitable solution, quickly and efficiently.
  • Private Finance is not limited in the range of mortgages it will consider for clients. It is well respected by mainstream institutions and private banks, with which it has a reputation for introducing high quality clients. Its mortgage brokers are qualified professionals who understand and empathise with the needs of discerning individuals.
  • You can be assured that your mortgage will be competitively priced and well suited to your needs.
  • As a client of Private Finance your mortgage arrangements will be handled on a day to day basis by your dedicated broker. You will not have to deal with call centres or spend time providing personal information via online forms.
  • You are therefore free to get on with your life in the knowledge that your mortgage application is being managed proactively in order to meet important deadlines.
  • Our brokers take pride in helping clients fulfil their property aspirations and can often turn the seemingly impossible into reality! You may be able to look at a wider range of property than you previously expected and overcome obstacles which might have stood in the way of progress.

Email info@privatefinance.co.uk or call 0800 980 8777.

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