Explain the entity before estimating the income
An overseas company’s turnover or retained cash cannot automatically be used like UK salary. Start with jurisdiction, legal form, shareholding, accounts and the way money reaches you personally. Translation, verification and the lender’s appetite for that country and structure can affect the route. Include currency exposure and any costs of maintaining businesses in more than one place.
Build your borrowing brief
- Company registration, ownership and actual trading activity
- Accounts and any required local tax evidence
- Salary and distribution records matched to personal bank credits
- Currency, transfers, company liabilities and continuing capital commitments
A short outline is enough for the first conversation. Detailed financial records can follow through an agreed secure route.
A question worth resolving early
Will a UK director-income policy also apply to my foreign company?
Not necessarily. Acceptance of overseas jurisdictions, legal forms and accounting evidence is lender-specific. Even when personal income is paid in sterling, the underlying business and source still need assessment.
Link to this answerJack reviews the borrowing objective and evidence, identifies the routes worth testing and explains the relevant costs and conditions. Your accountant, solicitor or investment adviser addresses their own specialist questions. A lender decision follows its assessment; an introductory conversation is not an offer.
See the detailed illustrative scenarios →Further reading: MoneyHelper: repayment and interest-only explained · Coutts: an example of private-bank mortgage assessment.
Criteria context checked 23 September 2026: Published lender criteria, including director income and interest-only repayment plans. This is an example of one lender’s policy, not a market-wide rule. Current criteria are confirmed for the proposed application.
Make the ownership and profit trail clear
Company accounts, local tax records and distributions may be needed to establish personal income. Currency, accounting standards and document language can complicate the review. We distinguish business turnover, company profit and money paid to you.
How I approach the case
We begin with what you want to achieve, your timescale and any part of the case that needs explaining. I review the evidence and suitable lender routes, then explain the available options and their costs. A recommendation follows the individual assessment; an initial conversation does not commit you to an application.
Where legal, tax or other specialist advice is needed, we identify it early so the finance fits the wider transaction. Tell me about any change in employment, borrowing, deposit or property details before proceeding.
What to prepare
- Company registration and ownership
- Accounts and tax evidence
- Salary and distributions
- Translations where needed
You do not need every document before saying hello. Start with a short outline; detailed or sensitive records should follow through an agreed secure route.
An overseas company's retained profit is not automatically acceptable income. Certified translations or additional verification may be required.
Your questions, answered
Can the first conversation take place while I am overseas?
Yes. Share your country of residence, preferred time zone and a short outline of the UK property plan. We can arrange the initial discussion remotely and establish what evidence is needed before asking you to organise detailed documents.
Link to this answerWhy do you ask about both residence and nationality?
They describe different parts of the case. The lender also needs to understand the income currency, employment, property use and deposit source. A passport alone does not establish a lending route; the full circumstances and the lender’s current requirements must be checked.
Link to this answerHow should I prepare an overseas deposit?
Keep a clear record of how the funds were accumulated and how they move between accounts. Explain gifts, sale proceeds, company distributions or other material sources early. The lender and solicitor may each require evidence. Agree their requirements before moving money simply for the application.
Link to this answerFurther reading: GOV.UK: proving immigration status · MoneyHelper: mortgages and homebuying. Content updated 23 September 2026. General information; availability depends on the individual case.