Residential mortgage lender Gen H has announced that non-PAYE applicants can now access 95% loan-to-value (LTV) lending. This means that contractors, self-employed and zero-hour workers can apply for a Gen H mortgage with a 5% deposit.
In a 2025 survey of 500 self-employed workers, Afin Bank found that 38% of respondents said their self-employed status had prevented them from purchasing a new home, and 23% said their unpredictable earnings or fluctuating income had been a barrier to getting a mortgage.
Meanwhile, Gen H estimates that 1 in 10 aspiring homeowners who are contractors or self-employed have less than a 10% deposit. This policy change from the lender aims to end the exclusion of non-PAYE applicants from the housing market by recognising a track record of variable but consistent income.
The number of self-employed workers rose by nearly 30% from 2000 to 2025. As more workers look for flexible working arrangements and technological advances make gig and remote contract work more accessible, these numbers are only set to increase.
Sara Palmer, sales and distribution director and Gen H, said: "The shape of our workforce is changing, but the desire for homeownership is not.
"Self-employed and contract workers should have the same right to access homeownership as anyone else – even with small deposits – but outdated ideas about the reliability of that income means too many are still locked out. We have approached this exciting expansion of our policy as we do all areas of our criteria: sensibly, and with prudence, but with a view to expanding access, not maintaining the status quo."
