Lender Criteria Index
Last reviewed: 29 June 2026
The Lender Criteria Index is a structured table of how UK mortgage lenders treat the cases that decide complex applications: one year of accounts, contractor day rate, limited-company retained profit, adverse credit and SPV buy-to-let, shown against each lender's maximum loan-to-value. It exists because the same applicant is accepted by one lender and declined by another purely on criteria. The rows below are an indicative sample of the structure, pending verification of current published criteria.
Indicative sample. The lenders below are anonymised placeholders (Lender A, B, C...) that show how the index is structured. They are not any specific lender's policy. Verified rows naming real lenders and their current criteria are added after each lender's published criteria is checked. Always confirm current criteria with a regulated broker.
| Lender | 1 yr accounts | Day rate | Retained profit | Adverse credit | SPV BTL | Max LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lender A (high street) | No | No | No | No | No | 90% |
| Lender B (mainstream) | Yes | Yes | No | Light only | No | 85% |
| Lender C (specialist) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Considered | Yes | 80% |
| Lender D (BTL specialist) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Considered | Yes | 75% |
| Lender E (adverse specialist) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 75% |
How to read the index
- 1 yr accounts: will the lender consider a single complete year of accounts or tax calculations.
- Day rate: will it assess a contractor on an annualised day rate rather than accounts.
- Retained profit: will it use a company director's share of retained profit, not just salary plus dividends.
- Adverse credit: how it treats defaults, CCJs or missed payments.
- SPV BTL: will it lend on a buy-to-let held in a special purpose vehicle company.
- Max LTV: the highest loan-to-value typically available for that case type.
Methodology
The index is built by reading lenders' published criteria and intermediary guides, then recording how each handles the case types above. It is refreshed periodically and carries a visible "last reviewed" date. Criteria change often, so the index is a starting point for narrowing the field, not a guarantee of any individual decision. A regulated broker confirms current criteria for your specific case.
Founder, MortgageExplained, MortgageExplained
Adam spent nearly a decade as a mortgage adviser at Just Mortgages, with further experience in commercial finance. He is CeMAP and CF qualified. He built MortgageExplained to do one thing well: explain mortgages in plain English, then introduce you to a regulated broker when you are ready. Every page is written and reviewed by Adam.
Last reviewed: 29 June 2026