LendInvest Mortgages has overhauled its residential lending criteria, alongside rate cuts across a selection of its residential mortgage products.
The lender will no longer consider missed payments and/or defaults on communication and utilities as adverse credit. When it comes to unique and complex employment structures, it will now accept 100% of base pay for zero hour contracts with a 12-month history.
LendInvest will also allow the sale of mortgaged property with a minimum £250,000 equity as a repayment vehicle for interest-only loans, allowing flexibility for applicants who have the long term plan of downsizing to opt for lower monthly payments.
To accompany these criteria changes, the lender is reducing interest rates across many of its residential mortgage products. Across its premier and advantage tiered products, two-year fixed term rates have reduced by up to 35 basis points and five-year fixes by up to 15bps. The specialist lender is also reducing rates by up to 25bps across the progress and support tiers.
Research conducted by LendInvest in autumn 2025 found that 18% of adults have missed a payment on a utility account in the last year, rising to 21% for those with complex incomes. The same study also revealed that 35% of aspiring homeowners in the UK were made to feel discouraged from applying for a mortgage by high street lenders due to their employment status or income streams.
Paula Mercer, sales director at LendInvest, said: “At LendInvest, we know that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to purchasing or remortgaging a home, and we take great pride in offering mortgage solutions to those with complex income streams and with less-than-perfect credit histories.
"That’s why we’ve decided to take a look at our criteria and made the decision not to consider missed payments on utilities “adverse” and open up our approvals to allow for more unique and complex income streams, like taking 100% of basic pay from zero hour contracts with a 12-month history.
"Our research revealed that there are many barriers to even applying for a residential mortgage, and we believe that removing these barriers will give more people the opportunity to purchase their own home. We’re looking forward to working with mortgage intermediaries across England, Scotland and Wales to provide reliable, informed and clear information and products that can support their clients and their residential mortgage needs.”
