Just Mortage Brokers logo

MORTGAGE BROKERS
Mortgages
Calculators
Resources
Get Started
01473 356 284

Search our site

Close

Mortgages for Freelancers

Self-employed? Your mortgage advice made simple.

Our experienced team understand how freelancers work. We have access to over 12,000 mortgage products from over 90 lenders, including specialist deals that aren’t available on the high street. All of this means they are well placed to help you get the right freelance mortgage deal for you.

Discover your borrowing power with NO credit checks, only takes a few minutes!

See what's possible
Get guided help

Mortgages for Freelancers

Self-employed? Your mortgage advice made simple.

Our experienced team understand how freelancers work. We have access to over 12,000 mortgage products from over 90 lenders, including specialist deals that aren’t available on the high street. All of this means they are well placed to help you get the right freelance mortgage deal for you.

Discover your borrowing power with NO credit checks, only takes a few minutes!

See what's possible
Get guided help
Author's Avatar Author: Carl Shave CEO and co-founder

5 mins

Updated: September 10th, 2025

Contents

5 mins

Updated: September 10th, 2025

In this article

Mortgages for Freelancers Frequently asked questions

 

Mortgages for Freelancers

The number of people who are self-employed has jumped dramatically in recent years, from 3.3 million in 2001 to 4.8 million in 2018. Many of these work as freelancers. A freelancer can work in any of a number of fields; it’s a catch-all term that can cover journalists, copywriters, authors, illustrators, trainers, web developers, marketers, PR and virtual assistants … and many more besides. When it comes to getting a mortgage, they ought to have the same options as an employed person earning a similar amount but, unfortunately, lenders tend to view – and treat – them quite differently.

There is no such thing as a “self-employed mortgage” or a “freelance mortgage”. Everyone potentially has access to the same deals – the tricky thing is being accepted. As freelancers generally have a variable income, they can benefit from fixed-rate mortgages that allow them to budget. Alternatively, flexible mortgages that allow the borrower to overpay or underpay depending on circumstances, or even take a payment holiday, can be useful.

Another type of mortgage that might work well for a freelancer is an offset mortgage. With this, the mortgage is linked to whatever savings you hold with the same lender. Say the mortgage is for £120,000 and you hold £15,000 in savings; you would pay mortgage interest on £105,000, rather than the full £120,000, as the amount of savings held is taken into consideration. In addition to any actual savings they may have, freelancers generally set money aside each month for tax, so they can benefit from that, too.

Frequently asked questions

High-street lenders often aren’t especially well-equipped to deal with freelancers. While their mortgage advisors understand standardised “tick-box” applications and have no trouble reading a payslip, they may not know how to interpret complex freelance accounts that can typically include variable income from multiple income streams. This puts freelancers at an immediate disadvantage.

Also, for all it’s true that despite having provided three months’ worth of payslips, an employee can lose their job – and income – two months down the line, there is a lot of focus on whether a freelancer is able to sustain work, and therefore income. Getting final approval for a mortgage can also take longer for a freelancer than for an employee, so aim to build some extra time into the process.

In the same way an employed person would have to provide payslips, a freelancer will have to provide business accounts. However, while payslips for the last three months are generally considered sufficient, many lenders will ask to see up to three years’ worth of accounts. Most will want to see at least two, and they must have been prepared by a chartered accountant.

Another difference is that if you have three years’ worth of accounts that show an upward trend, the lender will probably take an average and work with that. If, however, your most recent year showed a drop in earnings – perhaps because you took a break to, for example, undertake some training or care for a dependent – then they may work with the lower figure. This will directly affect how much you can borrow.

Unfortunately, you can’t just take your last year’s income and assume you will be able to borrow a multiple of that. When deciding how much they are prepared to offer, a lender will carry out an affordability assessment. To do this, they will look at both your income and your expenditure and work out what they believe you can afford to repay. Your credit rating will also have an impact on their decision. If you have a poor credit record, it is likely to reduce the amount you can borrow and increase the rate of interest you have to pay for the privilege. With an exemplary credit record, the opposite is likely to be true. You also boost your chances if you have a sizeable deposit to put down.

About the author

Author's Avatar

Carl Shave: CEO and co-founder

Carl Shave has been involved in the mortgage & finance industry since leaving education and is one of the co-founders of Just Mortgage Brokers. He has written guest posts and provided journalist comments for companies such as The Times, FT Adviser, Mortgage Strategy, Mortgage Solutions and others, demonstrating his extensive industry knowledge.

Qualifications:
Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CEMAP): Year Attained: 2001

FCA Profile
Author's Avatar

Excellent

4.94 based on 152 reviews

Costas

Verified user

We were very happy with Daniel at Just Mortgages as he helped us with our mortgage journey.He was very helpful and the process was quicker then we expected.Excellent customer service and very professional....5 Star review for Just Mortgages!

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Yaser & Amanah

Verified user

Daniel was excellent, he really helped us get the right mortgage package. He helped me understand each package and rate. Daniel was very patient with me. Thank you Daniel! I honestly highly recommend

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Timothy

Verified user

As a Landlord with a large portfolio the number of products available are limited. Daniel was great identifying competitive products and we agreed to three buy to let mortgages which completed without any issues. All questions and responses were anwered in a timely and professional manner. I would recommend Daniel and Just Morgage Brokers.

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Verity

Verified user

Just Mortgage Brokers are very helpful and responsive. Would definitely recommend their services to everyone

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Daniel

Verified user

Excellent support getting my initial mortgage and subsequently remortgaging. Very friendly service, always transparent and honest. Recommend highly

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Sarah

Verified user

It’s the second time we have used Just Mortgage Brokers & they were amazing! Daniel made everything so easy for us. We will definitely use them every time & recommend to friends & family.

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Emma

Verified user

Super easy to use, saved loads of time and stress having to sort out a new mortgage ourselves. It's easy to talk to a person on the phone and everyone has always been very helpful. This is the second time we've just JM and I would highly recommend!

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Ben

Verified user

Smooth as ever, efficient and charming - thanks team!

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Charmaine

Verified user

Always helpful and responsive. Yasmin always gets us a good deal, and we have been using Just Mortgage Brokers for many years. Easier to deal with then going direct to the lenders. Would highly recommend.

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Joel

Just Mortgage Brokers are the only place I’ll go for a mortgage or remortgage. Say what they’ll do- and then deliver each time, regardless of your circumstances. Highly recommended.

Read the full review

United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Ready to talk mortgages?

Get in touch today and we’ll call or email you back when it’s convenient!

Or call us now on 01473 356 284

"*" indicates required fields

Consent*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.