Getting a Mortgage in a New Job or During Probation
Can you get a mortgage straight after starting a new job?
Starting a new job, or still on probation, doesn’t rule you out of getting a mortgage. It’s genuinely lender-specific: some will lend against a confirmed job that hasn’t started yet, some are happy from your very first payslip, and many mainstream lenders don’t treat probation as a separate concern at all once the role is permanent. The details of your situation, how the job changed, what the new pay looks like, and whether it’s permanent, decide which lenders are the right fit.
This page covers what actually matters to a lender when your employment has recently changed: job offers versus signed contracts, gaps between roles, probation, career and industry changes, pay rises, and how bonuses and allowances are treated when you’re new in post.
Can you get a mortgage straight after starting a new job?
| Some lenders will approve a mortgage before the role even starts, based on a confirmed start date, permanent status and salary. | |
| Some need the job to have started, but don't require any payslips. If you start in August, you can apply in August. | |
| Some want three months in the same role before they'll consider the application. | |
| Some will lend from day one, but only if there was no gap in employment beforehand. |
Is a job offer letter enough, or do you need a signed contract?
A job offer letter is usually enough to get the application submitted. From there, a lender will typically want a signed contract before issuing a formal mortgage offer, because a signed contract is the binding document. An offer letter is exactly that, an offer, and doesn’t confirm you’ve accepted the role or that anything is finalised yet.
Does a gap between jobs matter?
A short gap, a couple of weeks off, a holiday between roles, or a small gap based on when the new job could start, is generally fine and won’t raise concerns.
A longer gap, several months, for example because of redundancy or a longer job search, can be more of a concern depending on the lender. Some lenders don’t need any employment history at all once you’re in a new, permanent role, so a gap beforehand isn’t a problem for them. Others want continuous employment history, and a gap of three or four months can be an issue with those specific lenders. It’s workable either way; it just determines which lenders are in scope.
Can you get a mortgage during a probation period?
Yes, and for most mainstream lenders, probation itself isn’t really a separate concern once the role is permanent. What matters to them is that the job is permanent, not whether you happen to be inside a probation window.
There are still some smaller, more niche lenders who do look at probation specifically. Where that’s the case, the things worth checking upfront are:
- Whether the contract itself is only fully permanent once probation is passed
- Whether the property purchase would complete before probation ends
Getting these points covered before the application goes in avoids any last-minute surprises with a lender who does factor probation in.
Does moving into a completely different industry make lenders more cautious?
It can, but mainly on contract or fixed-term roles rather than permanent ones.
If the new role is permanent, moving industries generally isn’t something a lender scrutinises heavily, because the security comes from the permanence of the contract, not your history in that specific field.
If the new role is a short-term contract in an industry you’ve never worked in before, that’s more likely to raise a question, because the concern is what happens when the contract ends: will your lack of experience in that field make it harder to secure the next role? This is a fair point to be ready to address if it applies to your situation, but it doesn’t rule anything out.
How do lenders view a significant pay rise with a new role?
It depends on why the pay has risen.
If the increase reflects genuine progression, new qualifications, a move into a fully qualified role after training, or simply what that role would typically pay, it’s generally accepted without issue.
If the new salary is significantly higher than what that role would typically pay, that’s more likely to raise a question. Lenders see a huge volume of applications across almost every profession, so they have a strong sense of typical earnings for a given role, and a figure well outside that range can prompt them to ask why.
How are bonuses, commission, overtime and allowances treated in a new role?
Guaranteed allowances (car allowance, travel allowance, location allowance) are generally treated the same as basic salary. They’re fixed, they don’t fluctuate, and lenders include them without much extra scrutiny.
Bonus, commission and overtime are treated very differently. Lenders won’t use any of these until they’ve actually been received, even if your contract guarantees a bonus next year. Until it’s paid, it’s considered variable, unconfirmed income. Where bonuses are paid monthly, lenders typically want to see at least three months in the role and at least two months of payslips showing the bonus actually landing, before they’ll factor it into affordability.
What if you change jobs after getting a mortgage offer, but before completing?
Tell your broker (or your lender directly, if you’re not using a broker) as soon as it happens. They need to know the new role, the new pay, the new start date and the new contract terms, so everyone involved is working from accurate, current information rather than outdated details from the original application.
What if you become self-employed midway through a purchase?
This is one of the riskiest changes to make partway through, and it’s worth knowing before it happens rather than after. Moving from employment to self-employment mid-purchase can raise real concerns for a lender, largely because you won’t yet have the one to two years of self-employed history most lenders want to see.
In some cases, a lender may not be able to proceed with the purchase at all. In others, if a mortgage offer has already been issued, the lender may withdraw it once they can’t verify what your ongoing income will genuinely look like under the new circumstances. If a change like this is on the horizon, speak to your broker before you make it, not after.
Does moving into contracting through your own limited company count as self-employed?
Not necessarily. If you’re contracting through your own limited company but working via a third party, and you have a track record in that kind of arrangement with a proper contract in place, many lenders will treat you as a contractor, assessed on what your contract shows as income, rather than as newly self-employed.
Some lenders don’t distinguish and would still treat this as self-employment, but those generally aren’t the right lenders to approach in this scenario. The better route is a lender comfortable treating contractor income on its own terms.
Planning to change jobs and thinking about a mortgage in the next six months?
Speak to a broker before you make the change, not after. Going through your circumstances in advance, what the new role looks like, when it starts, what the pay situation will be, means you can work out your lender options and time the move properly, rather than finding out after the fact that a change has narrowed your choices.
Why clients choose Heron Financial
Heron Financial is a B Corp certified, whole of market mortgage and protection broker. New jobs, probation periods, career changes and recent pay rises are exactly the kind of circumstances we work through daily, we know which lenders will accept a confirmed role before it even starts, which ones genuinely don’t factor in probation, and which will treat contractor income properly rather than as newly self-employed. If a change to your employment is on the horizon, talk to us before you make it. It’s all fee-free.
This article is general information, not personal financial advice.
FAQs
Can you get a mortgage if you've just started a new job?
Yes. Some lenders will approve an application before the role even starts, others need the job to have begun but don't require payslips, and some want a short period, often around three months, in the role first. Which route suits you depends on the lender.
Is a job offer letter enough for a mortgage application?
It's usually enough to get the application submitted. A lender will typically want a signed employment contract before issuing a formal mortgage offer, since the offer letter alone doesn't confirm the role has been accepted or finalised.
Can you get a mortgage while on probation?
Yes. For most mainstream lenders, probation itself isn't treated as a separate concern once the role is permanent. Some smaller, niche lenders do look at probation specifically, mainly around whether the contract is fully permanent yet and whether completion would happen before probation ends.
Does a gap between jobs affect a mortgage application?
A short gap of a few weeks generally isn't a concern. A longer gap of several months can be, depending on the lender: some don't require any employment history for a new permanent role, while others want continuous history and may query a gap of three or four months.
Do bonuses and commission count towards a mortgage if I've just started a job?
Not until they've actually been paid. Lenders treat bonus, commission and overtime as variable income and generally want to see at least three months in the role, with at least two months of payslips showing the bonus received, before including it.
What happens if I change jobs after getting a mortgage offer?
Tell your broker or lender as soon as the change happens, including the new role, pay, start date and contract. This keeps the application accurate and avoids issues at completion.
What happens if I become self-employed during a property purchase?
It can create real problems, since you won't have the one to two years of self-employed history most lenders want. A lender may be unable to proceed, or may withdraw an existing mortgage offer once they can't verify your new income. Speak to a broker before making this kind of change mid-purchase.