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Specialist and complex cases

Expert help when your circumstances do not fit the usual lending criteria.

Visa holders, foreign nationals, expats, contractors, foreign currency income, self-employed with one year of accounts, adverse credit, circumstances that many high-street lenders will not consider. Specialist lenders take a different view, but you generally cannot approach them directly.

Completing a credit history form
Working through paperwork on a laptop at home

A decline may mean you approached the wrong lender, not that you are out of options.

Most high-street lenders run a fixed set of rules, and their lending criteria may exclude circumstances that fall outside them. Specialist lenders underwrite by hand and will look at the circumstances behind the numbers. The skill is knowing which lender to approach and how to present the case, which is what a broker is actually for.

  • Tier 2 and skilled worker visa holders
  • Foreign nationals and applicants with limited UK credit history
  • Expats buying or remortgaging in the UK from abroad
  • Foreign currency income
  • Limited company directors and contractors
  • Adverse credit, including defaults, CCJs and past arrears

Step by step

What we do differently on a complex case

01

Understand the whole picture first

Before anything touches a lender we go through residency, income structure, credit history and timing. Guessing wastes a hard credit search.

02

Match the case to the right lender

Criteria on these cases changes constantly. We check current appetite rather than relying on what a lender accepted six months ago.

03

Present it properly

Specialist lenders underwrite manually, so a covering note explaining the background of a default or an unusual income structure genuinely changes the outcome.

04

Plan the exit

Specialist rates are higher. We set out when you are likely to qualify for mainstream lending again, and review it at the end of the initial rate.

Questions we get asked

Before you call, these might help.

I was declined by my bank. Does that mean I cannot get a mortgage?

No. A decline from one lender tells you about that lender's rules, not about your prospects generally. It is worth finding out why before applying anywhere else, because repeated applications leave marks on your credit file.

Can I get a mortgage on a visa?

Often yes. Some lenders want a minimum time remaining on the visa or a minimum period of UK residency, others take a more flexible view, particularly with a larger deposit. Skilled worker visas are relatively well catered for.

How long do I need to be self-employed?

Two years of accounts opens the widest choice. There are lenders who will work from one full year, and some who will use your latest year rather than an average, which helps if your income is rising.

Do specialist mortgages cost more?

Usually, yes, both in rate and in lender fees. The aim is to get you into the property now and move you to mainstream lending at the first sensible opportunity.

Next step

Fifteen minutes will tell you where you stand.

Pick a time that suits you and we will talk through what you are trying to do. There is no cost for the initial advice and no obligation to go ahead.

Prefer to talk now? Call 01282 937599 or email cristian@cdfmortgages.co.uk.