If a mainstream lender has quoted you a standard 4 to 4.5 times income multiple, that’s often simply because they don’t run a professional mortgage scheme, not because that’s genuinely the most you can borrow as a teacher. I compare mortgages across 120+ lenders, including specialist and professional mortgage schemes, and we’ll tell you honestly what’s realistic for your income structure.
HTG Mortgages
Teacher Mortgages
Last Updated: August 2026
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Teachers are straightforward to place with most lenders. What decides your number is which parts of your pay a lender will count. A permanent TLR is usually counted in full, a temporary one often is not, and supply work is assessed as self employed income rather than salary. Those three distinctions matter more than anything else on this page.
A permanent, contractual TLR is usually counted in full because it is guaranteed
A TLR2 is worth £3,527 to £8,611 and a TLR1 up to £17,216 on the 2025/26 England scales
Supply teachers are usually assessed as self employed, so the evidence changes entirely
As featured in…
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.”
Let’s Talk About Your Mortgage
The teacher mortgage process
1
Step 1
First Chat
Tell me your pay point, whether you hold a TLR and whether it is permanent or temporary, and whether any of your work is supply.
2
Step 2
Research
I match that against lender criteria, because whether your TLR counts can move your borrowing by a long way.
3
Step 3
Application
Once you have chosen a mortgage, I handle the application and deal with the lender and the paperwork.
4
Step 4
Completion
After the offer I stay on it through to completion, and I will tell you where things are without you having to chase.
About
Our approach.
Why choose HTG Mortgages?
Teaching pay is published and predictable, which is an advantage, but only with the lenders that use it properly.
A professional mortgage can change what you can borrow.
A number of lenders offer an enhanced income multiple scheme specifically for teachers, in some cases reaching up to 6.5 times income for the right case, well beyond standard residential lending. Whether you qualify, and by how much, depends on your role, income and the individual lender’s criteria, so it’s worth exploring properly rather than assuming a standard multiple applies to you.
NHS and private income combined.
Many consultants earn from both an NHS contract and private practice. Lenders who understand this combine the two rather than only counting your NHS salary, which can make a real difference to what you’re able to borrow.
GP partnership profit share.
GP partners are paid through a share of practice profits rather than a simple salary, similar in some ways to how self-employed income is assessed. We work with lenders who can assess this properly from your accounts and partnership agreement, rather than treating it like a standard employed payslip.
Locum income.
Locum work is paid by session or day rate rather than a fixed salary, and not every lender is comfortable assessing it. We know which lenders will, and what evidence they’ll want to see.
How I put a teacher case together
I start with your payslip and your contract rather than a lender list. On the 2025/26 England scales outside London the main pay range runs from £32,916 to £45,352 and the upper range from £47,472 to £51,048, so basic pay is easy to evidence. The decisions sit around everything else. A permanent TLR is contractual and normally counted in full. A temporary or fixed-term TLR is treated with far more caution and some lenders will ignore it entirely.
Two other situations come up constantly. Early career teachers, what used to be called NQTs, hit the same new-starter questions anyone changing job faces, and the answer is lender choice rather than waiting. Supply teachers are usually assessed as self employed, which means tax calculations rather than payslips, unless you are paid through an agency under PAYE, in which case the treatment changes again. Working out which of those you actually are, before applying, saves a lot of wasted time.
Who teacher mortgages can help
Teacher mortgages are not a separate product. What varies is whether a lender counts your TLR and how it treats supply or fixed-term work, and that is lender policy rather than anything to do with your school.
Why use HTG’s mortgage services?
Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm
We are an independently owned, whole-of-market mortgage broker offering first-charge mortgages
You deal with Harry directly, from the first conversation to completion
Let’s get your mortgage sorted
Written by Harry Goodliffe
Director & Mortgage Adviser, HTG Mortgages · FCA Authorised (1017945)
CeMAP Qualified · Featured in National Press · South England Prestige Awards 2026/27 winner