Which UK Mortgage Brokers Specialise in Contractors and Self-Employed Applicants?

Choosing a broker is rarely a formal process. Most contractors, directors and self-employed applicants search online or take a recommendation.

That approach works less well for non-standard income. A general broker and a specialist ask different questions and approach different lenders. The wrong choice can mean a declined application, not just a slower one.

What Does "Specialist" Mean for a Contractor or Self-Employed Broker?

"Specialist" describes an approach, not a licence or qualification. In practice, it means a broker who regularly works with income that does not arrive as a fixed monthly payslip.

For a day-rate contractor, that means assessing daily or weekly rate and contract pattern. It looks past a low salary drawn through an umbrella or personal service company.

Some lenders can annualise a current contract rate instead of relying only on accounts. This is most useful for those with a short contracting history — see our contractor mortgages page.

For a company director, it means looking at retained profit — the share of net profit left inside the company rather than paid out as salary or dividends.

For someone newly self-employed, it means working from one year of accounts, not two or three years of trading history. For a subcontractor paid under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), it means the gross contract rate, not the net figure after deduction.

A specialist broker asks for different evidence for each situation — company accounts, day-rate contracts, SA302s, or CIS statements — rather than a single payslip template. That is the practical test: do the broker's questions match the actual income structure?

A broker unfamiliar with a given income type is not necessarily unqualified. It may simply default to the fixed-criteria approach a high-street lender uses.

How Do You Tell a Tied Adviser From an Independent Broker?

A tied adviser works for one lender, or a small panel chosen by that lender, and can only discuss and offer that lender's own products. An independent broker can discuss and offer mortgages from many providers, and typically sources from a comprehensive range of mortgages from across the market rather than one provider's range.

For contractor, director and self-employed applicants, this distinction matters more than usual. Income assessment criteria vary sharply between lenders — one may use gross day rate, another only basic salary.

Wider access increases the chance of finding a lender whose criteria fit the applicant's actual income. Before instructing a broker, it is reasonable to ask directly whether they are tied or independent.

Neither type is automatically the wrong choice. A tied adviser at a lender that already suits contractor or director income can still work well; what matters is whether the criteria fit the case.

What Should You Ask a Broker Before Instructing Them?

A short set of questions before instructing any broker surfaces what matters most for a complex income case.

• How many similar cases — contractor, director, CIS, or newly self-employed — has the broker placed recently?
• What evidence will the broker need, and by when in the process?
• Does the broker's panel include lenders that consider retained profit or gross CIS income, or only standard salary?
• What is the broker's fee structure, and when does any client fee become payable?
• Is the broker tied to one lender or panel, or independent across a comprehensive range of the market?

Not every broker panel treats these income types the same way, so the answers matter more than the reply's tone. See our guide to broker interview questions for a longer breakdown.

How Are Mortgage Brokers Paid?

Brokers are typically paid in one of two ways, often both. A procuration fee is paid by the lender on completion and costs the borrower nothing directly.

Some brokers also charge an advice fee, instead of or alongside a procuration fee. FCA rules require brokers to disclose how they are paid before giving advice.

A fee-charging broker may justify time spent on a complex file — retained-profit calculations or gross CIS assessment — through the client fee. Neither model is automatically better for a contractor or self-employed case.

What matters is whether the broker's fee, if any, is disclosed clearly, and whether it can still access lenders suited to the applicant's income type. Full detail is in our mortgage broker fee FAQ.

Which Type of Broker Suits Each Income Situation?

The table below is a starting point, matching what a broker typically checks first to an income type. It is not a guarantee any individual firm covers every row.

How Does Broker Selection Work for a Company Director Paid by Dividends?

A specialist broker for director income is not a fixed category. Any adviser can submit a director's case. The difference is which assessment route they know to ask for.

Credibility is easiest to check on the Financial Conduct Authority's register, covering the firm and the individual adviser. It is reasonable to ask how a broker assesses director income before instructing them. A further question is how many lenders it can place a case with.

Lenders use different methods for director income. Some average salary and dividends over recent years; others assess a share of net profit, which may include retained profit. Which method applies changes the assessed figure — worth raising with a broker directly.

Lenders typically treat a director with a large enough shareholding as self-employed for assessment purposes. This applies even though income comes through PAYE and dividends.

Lenders expect recent tax figures. Once accounts age beyond a certain point, a lender may ask for the latest year-end figure instead.

What Are the Alternatives to Contractor Mortgages Made Easy?

Contractor Mortgages Made Easy is one UK broker focused on contractor and self-employed cases. It is not the only option. Readers comparing contractor-focused brokers should check the same things for any firm.

Check the income-assessment method: does the firm work from gross day rate, retained profit or one year of accounts, or only from standard payslips? Check panel breadth: is the firm tied to one lender, or independent with access to a comprehensive range of mortgages from across the market?

Check the fee model: procuration fee only, a client fee, or both, disclosed upfront. Check regulatory status: is the firm, and the individual adviser, listed and authorised on the Financial Conduct Authority's register?

Richards & Logic is a specialist broker in the same contractor and self-employed space, working from gross day rate, retained profit and one year of accounts. It is one of several firms worth comparing, not the only one.

Summary

The right broker for contractor, director or self-employed income is defined by approach, not size or name recognition. What matters is whether a firm works from the applicant's actual income evidence. Tied-or-independent status and regulatory status on the Financial Conduct Authority's register are also worth checking.

Frequently Asked Questions