No, you do not have to use a mortgage broker because you are self-employed. You can ask a lender about applying directly. Advice may be useful when you want help comparing routes, checking how your income will be evidenced or understanding the full cost of a mortgage. The choice depends on your circumstances and the service each adviser or lender can offer.
This guide helps you decide which route to explore. For help with an actual case, see Count Ready’s self-employed mortgage advice service.
Going direct or using a broker: what changes?
Speak to a lender directly
You discuss that lender’s products and criteria with its team. This can be a reasonable starting point if you have a lender in mind, including your current lender for a remortgage. Ask whether an adviser will make a personal recommendation or whether you are choosing the product yourself.
Your job: check how the lender treats your particular income, compare the complete mortgage cost with other options and understand what evidence it needs.
Speak to a mortgage broker
A broker can assess your needs, explain which lenders and products their service can consider, recommend a suitable mortgage where appropriate and help with the application. Their lender range and charges vary, so ask about both before proceeding.
Your job: give accurate information, read the recommendation and mortgage illustration, and decide whether to apply. The lender still makes the final lending decision.
When might advice be particularly useful?
Self-employment is not one single income pattern. A conversation can be worthwhile if you are unsure which figures a lender may assess, or if a previous application raised questions you cannot yet answer.
Your income needs explaining
You may have sole-trader profit, partnership income, director salary and dividends, contract payments or a mix with employment income. If profits fluctuate or your business structure has changed, ask how your complete history should be presented. Start with our self-employed mortgage guide.
Your records or timing are unusual
You may have one completed tax year, recent contracts, a remortgage deadline or an application declined elsewhere. An adviser can help identify the questions to check against current lender rules before another application. See the one-year accounts guide or self-employed remortgage page for the specific issue.
These are reasons to investigate, not signs that a particular lender will accept an application. Deposit, credit, property and affordability also matter.
What should you check before choosing a route?
- Describe how you earn. Say whether you are a sole trader, partner, company director, contractor or CIS worker, and note any other income.
- List what is already available. This may include accounts, tax calculations and tax year overviews, payslips, contracts or other records relevant to your structure. The documents a lender accepts vary. Our income-evidence guide explains the common terms.
- Ask about scope and cost. Which lenders can the adviser consider? Are direct-only products excluded? Who gives the recommendation? What broker, lender and legal charges might apply, and when?
- Check the decision process. Ask what could still prevent an offer after a decision in principle, and what happens if the lender asks for more evidence.
Do not change how you pay yourself solely for a mortgage without suitable tax or accounting advice. A mortgage adviser can discuss how current income is assessed, but does not replace your accountant.
Questions people ask before speaking to a broker
Can a self-employed person apply to a bank without a broker?
Yes. You can ask a bank or building society whether it accepts direct applications and what evidence it wants for your income. Compare its product and total cost with other suitable routes before committing.
Will using a broker improve my chance of approval?
An adviser may help you identify a lender whose current criteria appear relevant and prepare an accurate application. That does not guarantee approval. The lender assesses affordability, evidence, credit and the property before deciding.
What should I ask about broker fees?
Ask for the written fee terms, when each charge becomes payable, whether any fee is refundable, and whether the broker also receives lender commission. Count Ready explains its service and published charges on its broker page and Terms of Business; confirm the terms for your case before chargeable work.
Talk through the choice before you apply
If you would like a broker to review your circumstances, tell Count Ready how you work, how long you have traded, whether you are buying or remortgaging, and the main question you need answered. A short outline is enough for the first conversation; ask how to share sensitive documents securely if they are needed.
Request an initial conversation
The initial evaluation is free. We will explain any chargeable work and relevant fees before you decide whether to proceed. An enquiry is not a mortgage offer.
Guidance and service information reviewed 10 October 2026 against MoneyHelper, FCA guidance on checking a firm and Count Ready’s published terms. Lender criteria and fees may change; check the current position for your own case.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.