Mortgages · High Net Worth
Large loans and complex income — a different kind of mortgage advice.
Purchases above £750,000 and income structures that mainstream lenders cannot assess — investment portfolios, deferred bonuses, carry income, equity stakes, multi-currency earnings — require a different approach. We work with specialist and private bank lenders whose criteria are built around these profiles.
Why high net worth mortgages need a specialist approach
Mainstream mortgage products are built around a simple income template: PAYE salary, evidenced by payslips and a P60. Automated underwriting works well when the income fits that template. It fails — or produces a heavily discounted income figure — when it does not.
The income structures common among high net worth borrowers rarely fit the template. A private equity professional whose cash compensation is modest relative to carried interest, a business owner who holds profit within a company rather than drawing it, a senior executive whose annual bonus exceeds the base salary, a returning expat with substantial offshore assets and foreign currency earnings — each of these presents a challenge that mainstream lenders handle poorly, if at all.
The alternative lender pool — specialist mortgage lenders who use manual underwriting, and private banks who assess the full relationship — is smaller, and access to it requires knowing which lender's criteria fit which income structure. A private bank whose team specialises in legal professionals may assess a QC's chambers earnings very well but struggle with a tech founder's equity structure. Getting the lender selection right before applying matters far more in this segment than in standard residential lending.
The consequences of a poorly placed application — beyond the wasted time — include unnecessary credit searches and, for some structured transactions, a lender's enquiry process that can delay a purchase with a tight exchange deadline. Our role is to assess the income picture fully, identify the right lender before approaching any of them, and manage the process from that point to completion.
See also our Private Concierge service for clients who also need support on the property search and acquisition side, and our international buyer capability for those purchasing from outside the UK.
Income types we regularly assess
- Salary and bonus (executive and banking): base salary plus annual bonus, with bonus history across two to three years. Deferred bonus — where part of annual compensation is paid in a future year — requires specialist treatment to confirm the contractual commitment and expected payment schedule.
- Dividend income (limited company directors): combined salary plus dividends drawn from the company. Where significant retained profit sits within the company, some lenders will consider net profit rather than just drawings.
- Partnership profit share (law, accountancy, consultancy): assessed using the partner's share of profit as evidenced in partnership accounts. Multi-year averaging and confirmation of the ongoing partnership interest are standard requirements.
- Carried interest (private equity, venture capital): the most complex income type to assess. Some specialist lenders will consider a track record of carry distributions; others treat it as unpredictable and exclude it. The structure of the carry arrangement matters.
- Investment income (dividends, rental, portfolio distributions): rental income from existing properties is generally assessed via accounts; investment portfolio distributions require evidence of the portfolio value and a history of distributions. Capital gains are not counted as income by most lenders.
- Overseas income: income paid in a foreign currency, from a foreign employer or through an overseas business. Currency haircuts apply; the country of income, employment type and currency stability all affect the haircut rate. See our guide on how lenders assess foreign currency income.
Who this is for
- Buyers purchasing residential property above £750,000
- Those with income from investments, dividends, carried interest or deferred compensation
- Business owners and directors with retained profit or complex P&L structures
- Professionals with multi-currency income or overseas assets used as deposit
- International buyers with substantial overseas income purchasing in the UK
- Clients building multi-property portfolios requiring coordinated financing
- Those previously declined by high-street lenders despite strong overall finances
How it works
Income and asset review
We review your full income picture — salary, dividends, bonus structures, investment income, overseas earnings, equity stakes — to identify how lenders assess each element and which combination produces the strongest affordability case.
Lender selection
We identify lenders whose underwriting criteria match your specific income structure: specialist mortgage lenders, private banks and alternative finance providers who assess complex cases on merit rather than running automated scoring.
Structured application
We prepare the application to present the full financial picture clearly — accountant's letters, company accounts, asset statements, bonus history — structured to address each lender's requirements before submission.
Managed process through to completion
We manage the lender relationship throughout: underwriter queries, valuation, solicitor liaison and drawdown. Complex cases attract more detailed underwriter scrutiny; we manage that process so it does not slow the transaction.
Common questions
- There is no single definition, but the term generally refers to mortgage cases that fall outside standard automated underwriting — either because of the loan size (typically above £750,000), the complexity of the income (bonuses, dividends, investment income, overseas earnings) or both. Some lenders use the FCA's formal high net worth definition for regulatory purposes: net income above £300,000 or net assets above £3 million. The practical consequence is that these cases require manual underwriting and lender expertise that most high-street providers do not have.
- Mainstream lenders generally will not. Their automated systems are calibrated for PAYE income and standard self-employment. Complex income — deferred bonuses, carried interest, partnership profit shares, investment distributions, income paid in multiple currencies — either fails to fit their input fields or is heavily discounted. Specialist lenders and private banks have underwriting teams that assess complex income as presented, with appropriate evidence, rather than scoring it automatically. The difference in the assessed income figure — and therefore the maximum borrowing — can be significant.
- Some specialist lenders and private banks offer asset-backed lending — where the mortgage is supported by a pledge of investable assets rather than (or in addition to) income-based affordability. This approach suits clients who have substantial liquid assets but relatively low declared income — for example, those living on capital draws, recently exited business owners or those managing a transition between income streams. Asset-backed products carry their own terms and criteria; speak to an adviser about whether this approach fits your situation.
- Bonus treatment varies significantly between lenders. At one end, mainstream lenders discount variable pay heavily or exclude it entirely. Specialist lenders typically average the last two years of confirmed bonus payments and include a proportion — often 50–100% — in the affordability calculation. For very large bonuses (where the bonus exceeds the base salary), the averaging approach and documentation requirements become more detailed. A track record of consistent bonus payments over two to three years is the most important factor.
- Not necessarily. Private banks are one route, but specialist mortgage lenders — who operate in the same market without the relationship banking model or the requirement to hold assets under management — often offer more competitive rates and terms for straightforward high-value purchases. The right lender depends on the specific income structure, loan size and purchase type. We assess both routes and recommend based on your circumstances, not a preferred provider relationship.
- There is no fixed upper limit for high net worth mortgage lending in the way that residential products cap at certain LTVs. Specialist lenders and private banks lend into the tens of millions on residential property for appropriately evidenced applications. The practical constraint is income coverage and asset quality of the security. For very large loans — typically above £10 million — the lender panel narrows and the terms reflect the concentration risk.
What counts as a high net worth mortgage?
My income is complex — will lenders understand it?
Can I use assets rather than income to support my mortgage?
I have a large bonus each year. How do lenders treat bonus income?
Do I need a private bank for a large mortgage?
What is the maximum loan available?
Reviewed by Yazdaan Hussain · CeMAP qualified · LLB
4 September 2026
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