Search lender criteria in plain English.

Lending criteria are the rules each lender uses to decide who they will lend to and on what terms — covering income types, credit history, property construction, deposit size, age limits and more. Every UK lender sets its own criteria, which is why one lender can decline an application that another will happily accept.

Often, yes. High-street lenders typically want CCJs or defaults to be older, small or satisfied, while specialist lenders accept more recent adverse credit. The age, size and registration date of the issue — and the deposit you have — all affect which lenders are available to you.

Each lender has its own risk appetite, funding model and target market. A building society may manually underwrite complex incomes, while a large bank relies on automated credit scoring. Specialist lenders deliberately accept cases that high-street banks decline, usually at slightly higher rates.

Most lenders want one to three years of accounts or SA302 tax calculations and use an average of recent years, or the latest year if profits are level or rising. Some lenders accept just one year of trading, and contractors can often use a day-rate calculation instead.

It varies widely: many lenders use around 50% of regular bonus, overtime or commission, while some accept up to 100% with a consistent track record — usually evidenced over the last two years of payslips or P60s. This is one of the most common reasons affordability differs between lenders.

Constantly — lenders update criteria weekly or monthly in response to funding costs, regulation and risk appetite. Always check the current position with the lender or a broker before relying on a published document.

No. Concrete, steel-framed, timber-framed and high-rise properties are declined by some lenders and accepted by others, often subject to a structural survey or repair scheme certificate. Checking construction criteria early avoids wasted applications.