Contractor mortgages, explained properly.
Clear, current guides to the parts of contractor lending that trip people up — written by advisers who place these cases every week. 56 guides, grouped below; if you would rather run figures than read, start with the contractor calculators.
UK mortgage rates: where they stand now
Where UK mortgage rates stand, why lenders are cutting, and what it means if your deal is ending. Includes a dated market snapshot and what contractors should do.
Read → RatesSwap rates: why fixed mortgage rates move
Swap rates explained: why fixed mortgage rates change even when the Bank of England base rate doesn't, and what falling swaps mean for borrowers and contractors.
Read → RatesThe Bank of England base rate and your mortgage
How the Bank of England base rate affects your mortgage: what changes on a tracker, a fix and an SVR, and why a base rate hold doesn't mean rates stood still.
Read → RatesShould you fix for two years or five?
Two-year vs five-year fixed mortgage: how to weigh certainty against flexibility, what the rate gap tells you, and which suits contractors with changing income.
Read → RatesWhat the standard variable rate really costs you
The SVR is the most expensive place a mortgage can sit. What it is, why lenders rely on you drifting onto it, and how much switching away could save you.
Read → RemortgageYour fixed rate ends in 2026: what to do
Around 1.8 million UK fixed rate mortgages expire in 2026. What to do, when to start, and how to avoid the standard variable rate — a practical timeline.
Read → RatesHow loan-to-value drives the rate you're offered
Why LTV decides your mortgage rate: how lenders price in bands, why crossing a threshold changes everything, and how contractors can move down a band.
Read → RatesLow rate with a big fee, or higher rate with none?
Why the lowest mortgage rate isn't always the cheapest deal. How arrangement fees work, when a fee-free rate wins, and how to compare deals on true total cost.
Read → RatesShould you lock in a rate now, or wait?
Should you lock a mortgage rate now or wait for rates to fall? Why securing early is close to a free option, and how mortgage offers let you keep the upside.
Read → RatesWhy contractors get quoted such different rates
Why two lenders quote the same contractor wildly different rates and borrowing limits — and why the best rate in the market may be one you can't actually get.
Read → First-time buyerFirst-time buyer mortgages for contractors
How contractors and the self-employed buy their first home: how lenders read your day rate, the deposit you need, and the schemes that cut it. UK guide.
Read → DepositHow much deposit does a contractor need?
How much deposit you need for a contractor mortgage: why 5% can be enough, how loan-to-value drives your rate, and the low-deposit schemes worth knowing about.
Read → Buy-to-letBuy-to-let mortgages for contractors
How contractors get buy-to-let mortgages: why rent matters more than income, the interest coverage stress test, minimum income rules, and deposit levels.
Read → Buy-to-letSPV or personal name: how should you hold a buy-to-let?
Limited company (SPV) versus personal name buy-to-let: how the mortgage market, rates and stress tests differ, and why the choice is a tax decision first.
Read → ProtectionIncome protection for contractors
Why contractors need income protection: no sick pay, no employer safety net. How cover works, what it pays, and how it protects your mortgage if you can't work.
Read → ProtectionLife and critical illness cover for contractors
Life insurance and critical illness cover for contractors: what each pays, how much you need to protect the mortgage, and the company-paid option for directors.
Read → BridgingBridging finance explained
What bridging finance is, when it makes sense, and what it costs. How contractors use short-term loans for chain breaks, auctions and unmortgageable property.
Read → Capital raisingCapital raising: how to borrow against your home
How to raise money against your home: remortgage, further advance or second charge. What lenders accept it for, how much you can raise, and which route is cheapest.
Read → Shared ownershipShared ownership mortgages for contractors
How shared ownership works: buying a share, paying rent on the rest, and staircasing up. What contractors need to know about deposits, lenders and affordability.
Read → Who we helpMortgages for doctors and locums
How locum doctors and dentists get mortgages: how lenders read locum income, mixed NHS and private earnings, and why lender choice decides your borrowing.
Read → RemortgageDebt consolidation remortgage: is it worth it?
How a debt consolidation remortgage works, when it makes sense, and the real risks of moving unsecured debt onto your home. An honest guide for UK borrowers.
Read → RemortgageFixed or tracker rate when you remortgage?
Choosing a fixed or tracker rate at remortgage: how each works, what drives the cost, and how to decide based on your circumstances and appetite for risk.
Read → RemortgageHow much can you remortgage for?
How much you can remortgage for depends on your equity, the lender's loan-to-value cap and affordability. How each works, and how to borrow more.
Read → RemortgageHow to remortgage: a step-by-step guide
How to remortgage in the UK, step by step — when to start, what a broker does, the documents you need, and how contractors get assessed on their real income.
Read → RemortgageProduct transfer vs remortgage: which is right for you?
Product transfer vs remortgage compared: speed, cost, choice and affordability checks. Which suits contractors, and when switching lender is worth the extra work.
Read → RemortgageRemortgage costs and fees explained
The real cost of remortgaging: valuation, legal, product and broker fees, plus exit and early repayment charges — and how fee-free deals cover most of them.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging for home improvements
How to remortgage to fund home improvements: how much you can borrow, how lenders treat renovation, and whether it beats a further advance or a loan.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging to release equity
How remortgaging to release equity works in the UK: how much you can take out, what lenders accept it for, the LTV limits, and how contractors are assessed.
Read → RemortgageRemortgage vs further advance: how to borrow more
Remortgage vs further advance: borrowing more from your current lender or moving to a new one. Costs, rates, speed and which suits contractors raising money.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging after going limited
Remortgaging after switching to a limited company: how lenders assess directors on salary, dividends and retained profit, and why the right lender lends far more.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging with bad credit
Can you remortgage with bad credit? How lenders treat missed payments, defaults and CCJs, what improves your chances, and how contractors still switch.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging between contracts
Remortgaging between contracts or with a gap in work? How lenders assess contractors mid-term, what evidence strengthens your case, and how to time your switch.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging on CIS, umbrella or inside-IR35 income
How to remortgage if you're paid through CIS, an umbrella company or inside IR35: how lenders read gross income in each case, and how to avoid being underassessed.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging an interest-only mortgage
Remortgaging an interest-only mortgage: options at the end of the term, switching to repayment, repayment vehicles, and what contractors should know.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging with one year of accounts
Can you remortgage with one year of accounts? How lenders assess newly self-employed borrowers and contractors on a single year, a contract, or experience.
Read → RemortgageRemortgaging as a self-employed contractor
How to remortgage as a self-employed contractor: why your current lender shrinks your income, how the right lender reads your day rate, and how to switch well.
Read → RemortgageWhat happens when your fixed-rate mortgage ends?
When your fixed-rate mortgage ends you roll onto the lender's SVR. What that means, what to do, and how to switch before the standard variable rate costs you.
Read → RemortgageWhen should you remortgage?
When to remortgage in the UK: start three to six months before your deal ends, avoid early repayment charges, and time completion so you never touch the SVR.
Read → RatesCan a contractor lock in a mortgage rate early?
Can you lock a mortgage rate before you complete? How rate locks work for contractors, how long they last, and what happens if rates move. A plain guide.
Read → UnderwritingHow contractor income is calculated: the 46-week rule
The exact formula specialist lenders use to turn your day rate into an annual income — and why they cap the year at 46 weeks.
Read → UnderwritingWhat is contract-based underwriting?
How lenders assess your current contract instead of years of accounts — the foundation of contractor lending.
Read → DirectorsRetained profit mortgages, explained
How a select group of lenders let directors borrow against company profit, not just the salary and dividends on an SA302.
Read → DirectorsOffset mortgages for limited company directors
Link the cash you hold for tax to your mortgage and cut interest, without locking it away.
Read → Proving incomeCan you get a mortgage without an SA302?
Why the SA302 understates contractors and directors — and the documents lenders accept instead.
Read → TaxonomyUmbrella vs limited company: which gets the bigger mortgage?
How each structure is assessed, and which tends to support more borrowing.
Read → AffordabilityHow much can I borrow on a £500 day rate?
Worked figures from £300 to £700 a day, plus a live calculator.
Read → CISCIS income gross-up explained
How gross posted income — before the 20% deduction — supports a bigger mortgage.
Read → Off-payrollInside IR35 mortgages: how your borrowing changes
Off-payroll status changes your tax, not your eligibility. How lenders assess inside-IR35 and umbrella income.
Read → New contractorsGetting a mortgage with one year of accounts
You don’t always need two or three years of history. Which lenders accept a single year — or a day-one contract.
Read → HistorySelf-cert mortgages: why they’re banned
What replaced self-certification, and how contractors prove real income today.
Read → Buy-to-letThe buy-to-let stress test explained
ICR 125% vs 145%, the stress rate, and the maximum loan your rent supports.
Read → TaxStamp duty for contractors
The 2026 bands, first-time buyer relief and the buy-to-let surcharge.
Read → Choosing an adviserWhat does ‘whole of market’ mean?
Tied vs panel vs whole-of-market — and why breadth matters for contractors.
Read → ProcessThe Agreement in Principle, explained
Why to get an AIP first, how long it lasts, and the effect on your credit.
Read → DirectorsRelevant life vs personal life cover
Which is more tax-efficient for a company director — and when.
Read → ProcessContractor mortgage documents checklist
Exactly what to gather before you apply, by contractor type, so your application moves without delays.
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