Self-employed people sacrificing to make mortgage payments

March 22, 2025 by Brendan O'Neill

Mortgage Advisors

Research has found that self-employed people in the UK are putting major life milestones on indefinite hold so that they can pursue plans to buy a home.

This research was carried out by Together, a company that offers specialist mortgages. What the research shows is that self-employed people are putting off important parts of life so that they can make mortgage payments. Among the crucial life stages that they are delaying are growing their companies, getting married, and having children. The research also found that this is largely due to how difficult the mortgage market is for the self-employed.

In total, over 2,000 people who work for themselves spoke to Together for the study. They revealed that it is not just those major events that they are going without, but also smaller luxuries. That means things like pursuing further education, having nights out with friends and taking holidays abroad.

This is all so that mortgage payments can be afforded, but the market remains tough for them even with such sacrifices. Out of those who took part in the survey, 40% said that they had been turned down by a lender due to the fact that they are self-employed.

Ryan Etchells from Together told Mortgage Introducer that:

“It’s frustrating to see that self-employed borrowers, even when they can access mortgages, are having to put on hold important life goals to achieve their home-owning ambitions.”

Those with the CeMAP mortgage advisor qualification can direct them towards specialist lenders, but the big lenders must do more.