Accord assesses qualifying contractors on annualised day rate using the gross contract value, with the calculation mechanics sitting in the market mainstream. Limited company, umbrella and agency contractors all have routes through the policy, inside and outside IR35, with the gross rate evidenced in the usual forms.
The policy's breadth across contractor types is the practical point: where some lenders' contractor frameworks quietly favour one structure, Accord's accommodates the field — which is why it so often survives the elimination rounds when a case has any structural quirk.
Criteria on paper are only half a lender; the other half is how underwriters apply them. Accord’s reputation rests on the second half: cases that meet the published criteria get approved without invented obstacles, referrals are handled by people empowered to make decisions, and the common-sense reading usually prevails on genuine edge cases.
For a broker, that predictability compounds: we can tell a client with confidence what Accord will do, which makes it the reliable benchmark every other quote is tested against.
The Accord sweet spot is broad, covering the wide middle of contractor Britain. It does not chase the deep‑adverse case or guarantee the day‑one case but for the standard, sensible contractor file, it fits comfortably.
A solid, respectable rate track record is all that's needed no exotic underwriting required.
A sensible work history is enough; Accord doesn't demand Halifax's strict two‑year formulation.
Clean‑to‑light credit across any of the standard contractor structures is well within reach.
Accord follows a straightforward documentation process designed for efficient broker submissions. A complete and well-prepared application helps speed up underwriting, making clean contractor cases easier to assess and progress.
Submit your current contract, including your agreed rate and engagement terms.
Backed by Yorkshire Building Society’s mutual balance sheet, Accord prices competitively across the LTV range with regular best-buy appearances, particularly in the purchase and remortgage heartland between 75% and 90% LTV. Cashback and fee-assisted options give flexibility in structuring the total cost.
Mutual ownership also shows in product design — no shareholder yield extraction, which over a fixed term tends to surface as slightly better value for equivalent risk.
In the shortlists we build, Accord is the constant: rarely eliminated by criteria, frequently competitive on price, and never a processing gamble. Halifax may out-calculate it, NatWest may out-LTV it, HSBC may undercut it for the accounts-strong — but case after case, Accord is the lender the others must beat. Broker-only access means working with an intermediary is the only way to find out when they do not.