Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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Standard mortgage lending is built around people with straightforward salaries and fairly typical loan sizes. If your income or wealth doesn’t fit that pattern, high street lenders’ automated systems may struggle with your application, even when you’re in a very strong financial position. That’s where high net worth lending comes in.
What is a high net worth mortgage?
A high net worth mortgage is a loan assessed on your overall financial picture rather than a simple income multiple. Lenders in this space, including private banks and specialist lenders, look at your assets, investments, business interests and future earnings as well as your salary.
The FCA’s rules recognise high net worth borrowers as a separate category. As a guide, this typically means income of at least £300,000 a year or net assets of at least £3 million. Borrowers who meet these thresholds could access more flexible lending, but they also give up some of the standard affordability protections, so it’s important to understand what that means before going ahead.
You don’t always need to meet these thresholds to benefit from specialist lending. Many people with complex income or larger loans use the same lenders.
Who could it suit?
In our experience, specialist high value lending is often a good fit for:
- Business owners who draw a low salary and keep profits in their company
- Senior professionals with large bonuses, commission or share schemes
- People with significant investment portfolios or property wealth
- Buyers with income from overseas
- Anyone borrowing a large sum on a high value home in Solihull, Sutton Coldfield or the surrounding areas
How specialist lenders look at income
A high street lender may only count your basic salary, or average a bonus over several years and discount it. A specialist lender could take a much broader view, including:
- Retained profits in your limited company
- Restricted stock units, share options and deferred bonuses
- Income from investments, dividends and rental property
- Carried interest or partnership drawings
- Foreign currency income
This doesn’t mean anything goes. Underwriters still need to see that the loan is affordable, but they’ll assess your case by hand rather than relying on a computer score.
Interest only and asset backed lending
Many high net worth borrowers choose interest only, repaying the capital at the end of the term from investments, the sale of another property or a business exit. Lenders will want a credible repayment strategy. Our guide to interest-only mortgages explains how these work.
Some private banks may offer better terms if you place investments or deposits with them. That’s worth weighing up carefully rather than accepting automatically.
Loan sizes and property types
High value lending often involves loans that are well above what mainstream lenders offer. It could also cover properties that don’t fit standard criteria, such as homes with land, listed buildings or unusual construction. Each lender has its own appetite, so matching the property to the right lender matters.
Professional mortgages
If you’re a doctor, solicitor, accountant or similar professional, you may be able to borrow more through a professional mortgage, even if you’re not yet in high net worth territory. Read our guide to professional mortgages for more.
Tax and wider planning
High value borrowing often ties into tax, estate planning and business structures. We don’t give tax advice, so we’d always recommend involving your accountant or tax adviser alongside us.
How we could help
High net worth cases are rarely a good fit for a quick online application. We offer a comprehensive range of products from across the market, including private banks and specialist lenders that don’t deal direct with the public. We’ll present your case properly, explain the options and help you compare terms.
Visit our high net worth mortgages page or get in touch to arrange a confidential conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily. The formal FCA category has set thresholds, but many specialist lenders may look at complex income or larger loans for people below them.
Not always. Rates depend on the lender, the loan size and your wider relationship with them. Some private banks may offer competitive pricing, particularly if you hold other assets with them.
Some lenders may look at your share of retained profits rather than just the salary and dividends you draw, which could increase the amount you’re able to borrow.
