Buying your first London home
Work back from a comfortable monthly budget, including property costs, before choosing a price range. Tell us about your deposit, trading history and whether you will buy with someone else.
Your income and the property both matter. If you work for yourself and plan to buy, move or remortgage in London, we can help you understand which questions to settle before you apply.
Count Ready works by phone and online across the UK. We have no walk-in London branch. Our initial mortgage evaluation has no fee; we explain applicable later fees before chargeable work.
Yes, self-employment itself does not prevent a mortgage. A lender will assess the income you can evidence, your spending and commitments, your deposit or equity, your credit history and the property. Its requirements depend on your circumstances and the product available at the time.
London adds a practical question: will the whole purchase or remortgage still work once you allow for the property’s running costs and any lease or building issues? An online borrowing estimate cannot decide that. Our UK self-employed mortgage guide explains the wider eligibility picture; this page focuses on the London property decision.
Work back from a comfortable monthly budget, including property costs, before choosing a price range. Tell us about your deposit, trading history and whether you will buy with someone else.
Check the amount available after selling costs and any mortgage charge, then consider how a new property's lease, service charge and other bills affect your budget.
Have your current balance, deal end date, estimated property value and reason for changing ready. A product transfer and a new lender may require different checks.
If another lender has declined you, ask for the stated reason before another application. It may be about income evidence, affordability, credit, or the property. London bad-credit guidance covers credit-related questions separately.
First, check whether the mortgage is affordable on income the lender will accept. Then check whether the particular property meets its security requirements. A lender's valuation and your solicitor's legal review are separate from our mortgage advice.
For a leasehold flat, ask for the remaining lease term, ground rent terms, service charge history and proposed major works. Include these costs in your own monthly budget, and ask your solicitor to explain the lease.
Tell us early if the home is a high-rise, new-build, ex-local authority or unusually small flat. Lender and valuer requirements vary; do not assume a mortgage in principle settles the property question.
Allow for legal work, surveys, moving costs and any applicable Stamp Duty Land Tax. The tax position depends on the purchase and your circumstances; ask your solicitor to confirm it.
One applicant has employment income and the other draws a salary and dividends from a company. The London flat they like has a sizeable service charge and planned building works. We would review the income evidence and commitments, then flag the lease and building questions for the lender, valuer and solicitor. This is an example of the checks to make, not a lender decision or borrowing estimate.
There is no single accounts period or calculation for every lender. The lender checks the type, history and sustainability of the income it is willing to use. Recent changes, fluctuating earnings and a short trading history are worth mentioning before an application.
Depending on the case, a lender may later ask for accounts, HMRC tax calculations and tax year overviews, an accountant's reference, contracts or bank statements. Our income evidence guide explains these records. For a shorter history, see mortgages with one year's accounts. Please do not send personal or business bank statements through the callback form.
Buying, moving or remortgaging? Share the London location, property type, broad budget, work structure and timescale.
We review the circumstances and explain what might need checking with lenders. We can distinguish income questions from property, legal or valuation questions.
We explain the advice route, fees and further documents before chargeable work. If you proceed, the lender makes its own assessment.
For a property you intend to rent out, use our separate self-employed buy-to-let guide. Rental lending follows a different assessment.
There is no universal rule. Requirements vary by lender, income type and product. Some circumstances may be considered with a shorter history, but the evidence and other criteria still need checking. Tell us when you began trading and whether you worked in the same field before.
Potentially. A lender can assess a joint application using each person's eligible, evidenced income and both applicants' commitments. The approach to self-employed income varies, so share both income types at the outset.
Some lenders may consider a director's share of company profits, while others focus on salary and dividends. Their rules and evidence requirements vary. Do not count retained profits as available borrowing income until the chosen lender's criteria have been checked.
No. A mortgage in principle is usually an early assessment of the applicant. A full application, property valuation and legal review can uncover lease, building or other issues. Tell us about unusual property features early.
We can discuss the reason given and whether another route is worth exploring. A new application is not automatically appropriate, and a different lender may still need the same evidence or raise the same property concern.
A short outline is enough: purchase or remortgage, London area, property type, work structure, time trading, broad income and deposit or equity, and any deadline. Wait for a secure route before sharing detailed financial or identity documents.
Whether you are checking a possible budget or already have a flat or house in mind, we can help you work out what needs checking next.
Reviewed 26 October 2026. Lender criteria, product availability, fees and property requirements change. Confirm current details for the specific case before applying.
