Edinburgh · Scotland · UK-wide
A number of UK lenders operate professional mortgage schemes that treat doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, vets and other registered healthcare professionals differently from the general population — commonly lending 5 to 5.5 times income, and in some cases 6 times, against a standard 4.5. Several will also accept a signed contract before you start the job, count bank and locum shifts as income, and lend to newly qualified applicants on day one. These schemes are rarely advertised and almost never offered when you walk into a branch. Prime Mortgages arranges them for NHS and private healthcare staff across the whole of the UK.
Each lender maintains its own list of accepted professions, and they differ. Broadly, the medical and dental register carries the most weight, with allied health professionals accepted by fewer lenders but still accepted.
| Profession | Typical maximum multiple | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors (GMC registered) | 5.5x – 6x | The widest choice; several lenders will go to 6x for consultants and specialty registrars |
| Dentists (GDC registered) | 5x – 5.5x | Associates assessed as self-employed by most lenders, but on enhanced terms |
| Nurses and midwives (NMC) | 4.5x – 5x | A growing number of lenders include nursing in professional schemes |
| Pharmacists (GPhC) | 5x – 5.5x | Widely accepted, particularly where employed |
| Vets (RCVS) | 5x – 5.5x | Usually grouped with dentists |
| Paramedics, physios, radiographers (HCPC) | 4.5x – 5x | Lender-dependent; worth checking rather than assuming |
The difference is not academic. On a £60,000 income, 4.5x is £270,000 and 5.5x is £330,000 — a £60,000 swing on the same salary, driven purely by which lender assesses you.
NHS pay slips are among the most complex a lender sees, and a generalist adviser routinely leaves money on the table by not knowing what counts.
Training grades are the point at which most generic advice fails. Foundation and specialty doctors move post regularly, often across the country, on fixed-term contracts — and a lender that does not understand the training pathway sees instability rather than a career.
Lenders that operate professional schemes understand it perfectly well. Rotation is not treated as job-hopping, a fixed-term training contract is not treated as temporary work, and a change of trust does not restart your employment history.
NHS occupational sick pay is generous compared with the private sector — typically building to six months full pay and six months half pay with service. That is a real cushion, and it means income protection can be arranged with a longer deferred period, which makes it considerably cheaper.
Beyond that period, the NHS pension's ill-health retirement provisions are complex and rarely as generous as people assume. Clinicians in procedural specialties in particular are worth reviewing properly, and any private practice income has no sick pay behind it at all.
There is no fee for our protection advice.
No fee for the initial conversation, and no obligation. We usually reply the same working day.
Common questions
Yes. Several UK lenders operate professional mortgage schemes for GMC-registered doctors that lend 5 to 5.5 times income, and a few will go to 6 times for consultants and specialty registrars, against a standard market maximum of around 4.5 times. On a £60,000 income that is the difference between roughly £270,000 and £330,000.
Many do, though the treatment varies widely. Some lenders count 100% of bank and locum income where there is a track record of three to twelve months; others count 50%; a few ignore it entirely. If a significant share of your income comes from bank shifts, which lender you apply to matters far more than the interest rate.
Yes, often before starting the job. A number of lenders will accept a signed contract starting up to three or six months in the future, without a single payslip. Foundation doctors can usually borrow from day one of F1, and newly qualified nurses with a permanent contract are widely accepted.
Not with a lender that understands the training pathway. Specialty and foundation training contracts are assessed as continuous employment, and moving trust on rotation does not restart your employment history. A lender without a professional scheme may read the same CV as unstable employment, which is where declines come from.
GDC-registered dentists qualify for professional schemes with several lenders, typically at 5 to 5.5 times income. Most associates are technically self-employed, which usually means accounts are required, but a number of lenders will work from the contracted minimum days and rate instead — particularly for someone recently qualified.
It reduces your net pay, so it affects affordability. How much depends on whether the lender assesses gross or net income, and they differ. Given contribution rates rise with earnings, this is worth checking rather than assuming — it can move the figure by a meaningful amount for higher-banded staff.
No. These are national schemes available across the whole of the UK. We arrange them for healthcare clients anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — the process is the same, though Scottish purchases run through Home Reports, offers over and LBTT rather than the English system.
A twenty-minute conversation will tell you what you can realistically borrow, what it will cost and whether it is worth doing. It is free, and we will tell you honestly if the answer is no.