NAVIGATING THE MAZE OF COMPLEX INCOME
MORTGAGES

The new normal of income complexity

In today’s market, complex income is no longer the exception. Borrowers are more diverse in how they earn, and that’s reshaping the mortgage landscape.

From self-employed professionals, expats and foreign nationals to clients with trust or investment earnings, complex income is no longer a niche – it’s a growing part of the market.

For example, the UK now has over 4.4 million self-employed workers (1), many with fluctuating or retained income. There’s also a growing share of income coming from property, dividends or investments, particularly amongst higher-income households (2).

For brokers, this brings both complexity and opportunity. The challenge lies in placing cases that don’t align with the standard criteria of a lot of mainstream lenders. The opportunity? Being the expert who knows where to place them.

What we’re seeing as a specialist lender

Clients with complex income may have strong financial profiles, but their income doesn’t always fit the mould. Whilst we’re seeing a rise in high net worth clients with unusual sources of income, there’s also a steady rise in cases involving:

• Self-employed clients with fluctuating income or retained profits
• Expats earning in foreign currencies
• Foreign nationals working in the UK on visas
• Clients with multiple income streams, for example rental, dividends, or trust and investment income
• Those looking to monetise assets, such as selling shares, drawing from investment portfolios, or leveraging property equity

The challenge with a one-size-fits-all approach

I’m sure you hear it all the time “the client’s profile is solid, but the system just couldn’t get comfortable with it.” Whether it’s a self-employed applicant with a dip in income, a salary paid in dollars, or an expat with limited UK residency, these cases can often fall through the cracks of mainstream lending.

But these aren’t high-risk clients, they’re just underserved ones. And that’s exactly where specialist lenders come in.

You need flexibility, expertise, and a human touch

To find the right solution for your complex income clients, you need a lender who:

• Looks at the full picture, not just the payslip.
• Uses real people to make the decisions and doesn’t rely on computer automated decisions.
• Has clear and open communication so you can work together to find solutions

We have a Best for Brokers Promise that commits just that and we work closely with our brokers to understand the full picture, not just the numbers. Our daily Credit Committee assess each case on its own merit to find ways to say yes, giving you a quick and reliable decision. And our team of experts are here to help every step of the way, including your underwriter who will work with you to keep you updated throughout and be at the end of the phone to answer your questions.

Real life case

We recently supported a case that highlights the value of looking beyond conventional income structures. A broker introduced high net worth clients seeking a substantial loan to purchase a property valued at over £2m. Their income wasn’t straightforward, it came primarily from dividend earnings from a business generating over £1m in annual profits, rather than a salary or standard self-employed set-up.

The property itself needed refurbishment, and the clients had a longer-term exit strategy of selling their business within five years. Many lenders might have struggled to accommodate the complexity, but we took a different approach.

We considered retained profits, capitalised income, and interim accounts supported by an accountant’s reference. We also factored in their unencumbered residence and future business sale as part of the exit strategy.

The result? An interest-only residential loan for a term of 60 months with a three-year ERC period to align with their exit strategy.

It’s a great example of how we can support clients whose income falls outside the norm.

This is a recent case example, pricing is tailored to your clients’ individual circumstances. Article details are correct as at July 2025.

Let’s talk

We’ve built our reputation on doing things differently. We don’t rely on one-size-fits-all criteria. We listen, assess and tailor our solutions to fit your client.

If your latest case has income that doesn’t fit the norm, we’d love to hear from you. Our team is here to support you with:

• Flexible criteria for self-employed, expats and foreign nationals, with tiered products based on case complexity so you know where your quirky scenario fits
• A yes means yes approach with real people making the lending decisions
• A proactive, award-winning service from our team of experts

To discuss your latest case, give us a call:

• Find the details of your nearest BDM
• Chat to our broker support team on 01858 412345, they’re available Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Sources:

1 – UK labour market statistics 

2 – Gov statistics