How our mortgage lending criteria works
Our lending criteria is a list of rules that we check your mortgage application against.
It’s how we decide whether we can lend to you.
For example, we have rules about how old you need to be to get a mortgage.
And about how long you can borrow the money for.
It’s a good idea to check our mortgage lending criteria before you apply.
This can help you understand what you’ll need to show to get your application approved.
It’s how we decide whether we can lend to you.
For example, we have rules about how old you need to be to get a mortgage.
And about how long you can borrow the money for.
It’s a good idea to check our mortgage lending criteria before you apply.
This can help you understand what you’ll need to show to get your application approved.
What's on this page?
Who can get a mortgage with YBS?
You need to:
Be at least 18 years old
Live in the UK
Be a UK or Irish citizen
If you’re an immigrant, you need to have Indefinite Leave to Remain, Settled or Pre-settled status, or the Right to Reside.
What documents do I need?
When you apply for a mortgage, we need to check your identity, income and expenses.
Proof of identity - Find out what documents we need on our Verifying your identity page.
Proof of income - The documents we need to see depend on your employment status.
Proof of your outgoings - You can see examples on our Understanding mortgage affordability page.
If you’re married or in a civil partnership and want to apply in your sole name, we will ask you for extra details.
How long can my mortgage term be?
We offer mortgages between 5 and 40 years. Your term must finish by your 81st birthday, unless you have an interest only mortgage or a £5k deposit mortgage.
Interest only mortgages
If you need an income to make the loan affordable, the term must finish by whichever comes first, your retirement age or your 71st birthday.
If you need an income to make the loan affordable, the term must finish by whichever comes first, your retirement age or your 71st birthday.
Can I repay my mortgage early?
You can repay some or all of your mortgage early. You may need to pay early repayment charges if you do this.
What loan amounts do you offer?
We offer different loan amounts depending on:
The type of property
Where the property is
Loan to value ratio (LTV). This is the size of the mortgage as a percentage of the property’s value.
Minimum and maximum loan amounts
New build properties
| Your Loan to Value | Minimum loan amount | Maximum loan amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 75% | £25,001 | £5,000,000 |
| 75% - 90% | £50,000 * | £1,000,000 |
Existing properties
| Your Loan to Value | Minimum loan amount | Maximum loan amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 75% | £25,001 | £5,000,000 |
| 75% - 85% | £50,000* | £2,000,000 |
| 85% - 90% | £50,000* | £750,000 |
| 90% - 95% | £50,000* | £600,000 |
| 95% - 99% | £95,001 | £495,000 |
Properties in Northern Ireland
| Your Loan to Value | Minimum loan amount | Maximum loan amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 75% | £25,001 | £5,000,000 |
| 75% - 85% | £50,000* | £2,000,000 |
| 85% - 90% | £50,000* | £750,000 |
* 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).
Remortgaging
If you’re remortgaging, at least one applicant must have owned and lived in the property for at least 6 months. The maximum loan to value for remortgages is 95%.
Proof of income
We need to see different documents depending on your employment status.
If your loan is less than 75% LTV:
Your last payslip with a corresponding bank statement
If your loan is more than 75% LTV:
Your last 3 payslips plus the bank statement showing the salary credit from your most recent payslip.
- Latest month's personal bank statement
- Latest month's business bank statement
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 or you do not have an accountant, we require your latest 2 years SA302s.
You'll need to be employed in one of the following occupations:
- NHS Bank nurses and locums
- Non-NHS Bank nurses
- Care Home Workers
- Supermarket Workers
- HGV Drivers
- Retained / On-Call Firefighters
- Armed Forces Reserves
- Supply Teachers
You'll also need to provide evidence that you've been employed on a zero hour contract for a minimum of 12 months. We'll need to see:
- Your last 3 payslips
- A bank statement showing your salary paid in from your most recent payslip.
- A copy of your current contract (excluding NHS Bank work)
- A copy of your P60 from the current tax year
Limited Company Directors with more then 25% shareholding (or less than 25% where income is derived from dividends) will need the following:
- Latest month's personal bank statement
- Latest month's business bank statement
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.
Latest month's personal bank statement. 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.
Getting a conveyancer
You will need a conveyancer to get a mortgage offer from us. You need to choose one from our panel of approved conveyancers. Find out more on our conveyancing page.
Repaying your mortgage
When you take out a mortgage with us, you agree to pay all the money you owe. If you have trouble paying your mortgage, we will work with you to find a solution.
If we’re not able to find a solution, we may have to repossess your home as a last resort.
If we’re not able to find a solution, we may have to repossess your home as a last resort.
Call us
Chat to our mortgage specialists about your options.
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Book an appointment
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Recognised Accounts
- 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)
- Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)