Lenders assess self employed applicants differently to those in employed work, typically looking at income over the last two or three years rather than a single salary figure. This means your accounts and tax returns become an important part of the application, so it's worth having these in good order before you apply.
Some lenders are more comfortable with self employed applicants than others and criteria can vary depending on how your business is structured, whether as a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company. We know which lenders tend to take a more practical view and can point you towards them.
If your income has varied from year to year, perhaps due to a quieter year or a change in your business, we help explain this clearly as part of your application rather than leaving a lender to draw its own conclusions from the figures alone.