Quick summary of Halifax’s standard underwriting policy for day-rate contractors and independent professionals.
| Criteria Requirement | Assessment Policy |
|---|---|
| Income basis | Contract / day rate–based assessment |
| Day-one lending | Case-by-case |
| Minimum history | Flexible |
| IR35 (inside) stance | Contractor-friendly assessment |
| Umbrella accepted | Yes |
| Limited company | Yes |
| Gaps between contracts | Flexible |
| Adverse credit | Mild considered |
| Underwriting | Manual |
| Broker access | Direct & intermediary |
Yes — human decision-making on non-standard cases is core to Metro's approach, applied at bank scale for faster processing than the smallest societies. Terms are confirmed live at application.
Yes — multi-source and less standard income shapes are read on their merits within the manual frame. Specifics are confirmed at application.
Yes to both, with appropriate evidence for each structure.
Its manual approach can weigh gaps in context rather than against a rigid rule. Tolerance is confirmed at application.
Mild, explainable adverse may be considered; deeper histories are better matched to specialist lenders. We'll triage the right tier.
Speak to our contractor mortgage specialists to check live Metro Bank rates and verify your borrowing capacity.