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HTG Mortgages

HTG Mortgages

Contractor Mortgages

Last Updated: August 2026

Featured in The Telegraph • Daily Mail • The Times • Sky News

Contracting shouldn’t cost you a mortgage. The right lenders will work from your day rate, not three years of accounts, often allowing far more borrowing than your bank would offer. We know exactly which lenders understand contractors, and we’ll do the sums before anything touches your credit file.

Borrow based on your day rate, the way contractor-friendly lenders assess income

Speak directly to Harry, not a call centre, no passing you around

Day-rate, limited company, umbrella, CIS, fixed-term and zero-hours all considered

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As featured in…

Harry Goodliffe, director and FCA-authorised mortgage advisor at HTG Mortgages, at his desk

Meet your Advisor

Harry Goodliffe

  • FCA Authorised
  • Director & Mortgage Advisor

“I‘m not about confusing jargon or passing you from person to person. From our first chat to the day you get the keys, you’ll deal directly with me. I‘ll keep you updated, answer any burning questions, and do everything I can to make the whole process as stress-free as possible.”

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The contractor mortgage process

1

Step 1

First Chat

Contact us with your current contract and day rate. We’ll assess how lenders will view your income and give you realistic borrowing figures from the start.

2

Step 2

Research

We’ll match your contract type (limited company, umbrella, CIS or fixed-term) to the lenders whose criteria genuinely fit you.

3

Step 3

Application

Once you’ve chosen a mortgage, we’ll handle the application process, liaising with the lender on your behalf.

4

Step 4

Completion

After approval, we’ll ensure a smooth transition to your new mortgage, keeping you informed at every step.

About

Our approach.

Why choose HTG Mortgages?

A contractor mortgage isn’t a special product. It’s ordinary mortgage lending assessed the right way. Contractor-friendly lenders annualise your gross contract rate instead of relying on payslips or net-profit accounts, and that changes everything:

Day-Rate Assessment

Lenders that understand contracting typically calculate your income as day rate × 5 × 46 weeks, so £500 a day can be assessed as £115,000 a year.

Limited Company Directors

Paying yourself a small salary plus dividends? Lenders that use retained profits or your contract rate can transform what you can borrow, without changing your tax planning.

Umbrella, IR35 & CIS

Inside IR35, umbrella payslips and CIS gross income all have lender-friendly routes, and construction workers can often borrow 20–30% more when assessed on CIS payslips.

No Rate Premium

Contractors don’t pay higher rates. Once a lender accepts your income, you access the same products as employed applicants, with deposits from 5% for qualifying profiles.

Speak to an expert

The UK has around 4.5 million self-employed and contract workers, yet most mortgage applications are still built around PAYE payslips. Sent to the wrong lender, two contractors on identical day rates can receive offers hundreds of thousands of pounds apart, so where your application lands really matters.

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How HTG Mortgages Can Help

At HTG Mortgages, we route your application to lenders that assess contractors properly, not through the generic self-employed process that undervalues them. Here’s how we can assist you:

  • Contract-Based Underwriting: We place your case with lenders that assess your gross contract value, so your borrowing reflects what you actually earn.
  • Every Contract Type: Limited company, umbrella, inside or outside IR35, CIS, fixed-term, agency and zero-hours: we know which lenders accept each, and on what evidence.
  • Light Paperwork: Typically your current contract, evidence of renewals, an up-to-date CV and three months’ bank statements rather than three years of accounts.
  • Whole-of-Market Access: We compare 120+ lenders, including broker-only names with some of the strongest contractor criteria in the market.

Who contractor mortgages can help

If you’re paid on a contract rather than a salary, the right lender match matters more than anything else. We regularly help when:

  • You’re a day-rate contractor working through your own limited company.
  • You work through an umbrella company or inside IR35.
  • You’re a construction subcontractor paid under CIS.
  • You’re on a fixed-term, agency or zero-hours contract.
  • You’ve been contracting for under two years. Some lenders accept day one with relevant industry experience.

Whether you’re an IT contractor in Southampton, a CIS tradesperson in Portsmouth or an NHS professional on fixed-term contracts in Winchester, the right lender can transform what you’re able to borrow.

Why use HTG’s mortgage services?

Available 24/7, so we are always there to help when you need us

We are an independently owned, whole-of-market mortgage broker offering first-charge mortgages

We provide unrivalled customer service, ensuring that you get the care you deserve

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Let’s get your mortgage sorted

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Frequently Asked Questions

Have another question?

Yes. Contractors rarely face real obstacles when the application goes to a lender that understands contracting. The key is contract-based underwriting: the lender works from your gross contract rate rather than putting you through the standard self-employed process. Once your income is accepted, you access the same products and rates as employed applicants, subject to lender criteria and affordability.

Contractor-friendly lenders typically annualise your income as day rate × 5 × 46 weeks, then lend a multiple of that figure, commonly 4.5 to 5.5 times. As an illustration, £500 a day is usually assessed as around £115,000 a year of income. The exact figure depends on the lender, your outgoings and your wider circumstances, which is why we run the sums before you apply.

No. That’s the standard self-employed route, and it’s exactly what undervalues most contractors. Contract-based lenders usually want your current contract, evidence of renewals, an up-to-date CV and around three months’ bank statements. Some high-street lenders will even consider first-time contractors from day one if you have solid experience in the same industry. Those figures usually come from your SA302 and Tax Year Overview, see what does an SA302 look like for what each one shows.

It varies by lender: some accept brand-new contractors with two years of relevant employed experience, several want 6–12 months of contracting history, and the more cautious prefer two years. Gaps between contracts of up to around six weeks are normally fine; longer gaps just need a sensible explanation.

No, but it makes lender choice critical. Some lenders will still work from your gross contract rate even inside IR35, while others only use the post-deduction figure on your umbrella payslip, which can cut what you can borrow dramatically. Same day rate, very different outcomes, so we place you with the lenders that use the stronger calculation.

A route for construction subcontractors paid under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). Under CIS, the contractor you work for deducts tax from your payments before you’re paid, usually 20% if you’re registered with HMRC, 30% if you’re not, or 0% if you hold gross payment status, and passes it to HMRC on your behalf. That deduction happens before you see the money, so your take-home figure understates what you actually earn. CIS-friendly lenders work from your gross CIS payslips (some from as little as three months of them) rather than the reduced net figure or a full set of accounts, which typically supports 20–30% more borrowing. Deposits from 5% are possible for qualifying applicants. We’ve helped CIS subcontractors who’d been turned down elsewhere once their case was in front of a lender that assesses CIS income properly.

The same as anyone else in principle: from 5% with some lenders for qualifying profiles, though 10% opens up more choice. A short contracting history can mean a larger deposit is needed, which is something we’ll flag honestly before you commit to anything.

Lenders generally like to see three months or more remaining on your contract, but if you’re close to the end, a written renewal or extension from your client usually solves it. Undocumented renewals are one of the most common reasons contractor applications get declined, so we make sure the paperwork is in place before submission.

Some lenders will look at a share of your company’s retained or net profit, based on your percentage shareholding, rather than only the salary and dividends you’ve personally drawn. That matters because many directors keep their salary and dividends low for tax reasons, which can understate their real income to a lender that only looks at what’s been drawn. You don’t need to change how you pay yourself to use this route, but any change to your salary or dividend strategy has its own tax implications, so it’s worth a conversation with your accountant alongside talking to us about the mortgage side.

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