Contractor mortgages are types of mortgages specially designed for people working on contract or freelance basis. By their very nature, contractor mortgages take into consideration special factors that may make such workers ineligible for regular mortgages. However, these mortgages are not limited to freelancers and contractors alone. They can also be accessed by full-time employees who for one reason or another cannot access conventional mortgages.
Applications for contractor mortgages are assessed on individual basis, unlike what happens with standard mortgages where all applicants have to fit a certain bill to qualify for the mortgage. Lenders consider specific factors unique to each applicant when assessing applications for loan approval.
The most common factors considered are: length of time the applicant has been working as a contractor or freelancer, the applicant’s contract rate, duration of existing/current contracts as held by the applicant and the percentage of the applicant’s retained profits.
All these factors reflect the applicant’s ability to repay the loan. The lender decides who qualifies for the loan based on the results of their assessment. The fact that each application receives an individual review encourages many full-time employees to apply for the mortgage. As long as they meet the lender’s conditions, they can qualify for the mortgage.
Specific groups of people who can apply and qualify for a contractor mortgage are individuals who joined formal employment recently, individuals with poor credit scores, individuals who have just started a business and first time borrowers.
It is important to do some research on a lender before sending your application through. You should only deal with a lender who is approved and registered by the Financial Services Authority. This way, you can follow the right channel in case of a misunderstanding between you and the lender. It is important to note that the terms and conditions of the contract mortgage may differ from one lender to another.