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Coronavirus (COVID-19) information : (including the FCA draft guidance for further support on mortgage payment holidays 22.05.2020) Find out more and check updates
Important Information
Update on our lending policies : In our response to COVID-19, for the time being we are currently unable to accept applications on properties in Northern Ireland and properties valued at more than £2 million. Click here to see the full list of details.
About you and how much you can borrow
Remortgages
Maximum age
The maximum age limit for a mortgage depends on your personal circumstances. Please call us on 0345 1200 842* and we can discuss this with you.
Self-employed or company director?
If you are self-employed, a limited company director or salaried director with a shareholding in a company, we may need additional proof of your income. Usually this is obtained from your accountant. In addition to this we will require both personal and business bank account statements. A breakdown of our document requirements are detailed below.
Things to consider before your application
- You need to be at least 18 years of age to apply for a mortgage.
- You must reside in the UK at the time of application and either be a UK citizen or hold a European passport.
- The minimum loan term is 5 years
- The minimum term for a mortgage loan is 5 years and the maximum term is 40 years (provided this does not take your term beyond your 80th birthday). Interest only borrowing is not permitted if you are retired or if the term of the mortgage goes beyond your stated retirement age, or age 70 whichever is earlier
- You have the right to repay the loan either partially or in full during the term of the loan
- Will the mortgage term you require extend past your expected retirement age? If it will, we cannot accept an online application and you would need to apply over the phone.
- When you request a lending decision (the first stage of an online mortgage application), we verify your details with a credit reference agency. Our checks will not appear on your credit file at this stage of the application.
Loan amounts
Minimum loans
The minimum amount you can borrow is dependent on the following criteria:
-
For loan sizes less than or equal to 75% LTV our minimum loan amount is £25,001
-
For loan sizes greater than 75% LTV our minimum loan is £50,000
- If you're taking out more than one product, the minimum amount on any one product is £25,001 (subject to the total loan being at least £50,000). -
For Additional Loans our minimum loan Size is £3,000
Maximum loans - new build properties
| LTV for new build properties | |
|---|---|
| Up to £1,500,000 | 75% |
| Up to £1,000,000 | 85% |
Maximum loans - existing properties
| LTV for existing properties | |
|---|---|
| Up to £1,500,000 | 75% |
| Up to £1,000,000 | 85% |
| Up to £500,000 | 90% |
Important information
- Maximum loans for online applications is 90%
Applications with a loan size over £600,000 will be subject to additional lending rules, which may impact the maximum borrowing that can be offered.
Loan to Value or LTV
The LTV is your mortgage amount as a percentage of the purchase price or the valuation amount of the property, whichever is the lower of the two. For example, a £90,000 mortgage on a property worth £100,000 has an LTV of 90%.
Income requirements
The amount you can borrow is determined by your income and by also taking into account any existing financial commitments you have to ensure your mortgage payments will be affordable.
We consider the following:
Documents you'll need
When you apply for a mortgage, we'll need to see the following documents:
Click here to see a list of documents we will accept as proof.
If you are employed, we will also need the following:
Please note online bank statements and payslips do not need to be certified.
If your loan is less than 75% LTV:
If your loan is more than 75% LTV:
Self Employed/Partnership/Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
In addition to this we will write to your accountant for confirmation of your income. If your accountant is not on our list of recognised accountants (see list below) or you do not have an accountant, we require your latest 2 years SA302s.
Limited Company Directors with more than 25% Shareholding or less than 25% where your income is derived from dividends
In addition to this we will write to your accountant for confirmation of your income. If your accountant is not on our list of recognised accountants (see list below) or you do not have an accountant, we require your latest 2 years SA302s.
Salaried Directors with less than 25% shareholding
Salaried directors with less than 25% shareholding are treated for income purposes as employed applicants and the same evidence of income is required as detailed against employed applicants.
Salaried Directors with more than 25% shareholding
In addition to this we will write to your accountant for confirmation of your income.
Something to bear in mind: We'll always take into consideration the dividends for the last trading year or the average for the last 2 years, whichever is lower. If the business has been set up for less than 2 years, the finalised years figures and a projection for current year will be required.
List of recognised accountants
- Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA/ACA)
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA/FCCA)
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CIPFA)
- Institute of Company Accountants (ASCA/FSCA)
- Association of Authorised Public Accountants (FAPA/AAPA)
- Association of International Accountants (FIA/AIA)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (FCAS/ACAS)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI)
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
Vital information about your ID documents
All identification documents that you send must be originals or certified true copies. Please follow these guidelines to make sure we can accept what you send to avoid delays:
Who can certify:
- Bank employees
- Accountants
- Solicitors (including Barristers)
- Commissioner for Oaths - this is a title held by almost all UK and Irish solicitors and some Legal Executives.
- Independent Financial Advisers or mortgage / insurance brokers. Must be Financial Services registered and will need to provide their FSR number when certifying.
- Post Office employees
How to certify copies:
The person who certifies your copy must include the following on EVERY page of that copy. (For lengthy documents, such as accounts, the person certifying can state the following on the first page: the number of pages in the document and that they have seen and certify the full copy as a true copy of the original.)
- "I certify that this document is a true copy of the original." If the document is photo ID, they should also state "and is a true likeness of the individual."
- Full Name & Signature
- Profession
- Business Address including company name.
- Telephone Number
- If they are an Independent Financial Adviser, mortgage or insurance broker, their FSR number.
Getting your documents to us
-
Post to:
Central Processing
Yorkshire House
Yorkshire Drive
Bradford BD5 8LJ - We recommend you wait until you have all your documents and post them together as we don't start processing until we've received all the documents that we've requested.
- It's also a good idea to send documents "signed for" or "guaranteed delivery" to speed up the process and to ensure original documents are safe. Even if you send certified documents rather than originals, if these go missing, this will cause delays as you'll have to make new copies and get them certified.
Higher Lending Charge (HLC)
Where a loan exceeds 75% of the purchase price or valuation (whichever is the lower) there is increased risk to us. To cover us against this risk, a Higher Lending Charge (HLC) is payable. This charge will be paid by us. Even though we will pay a HLC, you are still responsible for the money you owe, including any shortfall.
Mortgage calculators
Use our simple calculator tools to work out how much your repayments could be, how much we could lend to you and if an Offset mortgage could save you money.
Your questions answered
Call us
9am - 5pm: Mon to Fri
9am - 1pm: Sat
0345 744 6622*