Heron Financial arranged a £240,000 mortgage at 82% LTV for two joint applicants in Clevedon, one working in administration and finance support, the other in sales, purchasing a £292,000 three-bedroom terraced house with a £52,000 deposit from personal savings. With one stable salaried income and one commission-driven sales income, the priority was placing the case with a lender whose income assessment worked cleanly across both profiles. Heron Financial placed the case with NatWest on a fixed rate, and the mortgage completed in May 2026.
The clients
The clients were a couple in Clevedon, North Somerset, buying a three-bedroom terraced house together. One applicant works in admin and finance support, a steady salaried role with predictable monthly income. The other works in sales, where pay is built around a base salary plus commission, with the commission element making up a meaningful share of total earnings.
They came to Heron Financial with £52,000 in personal savings, an 18% deposit on a £292,000 purchase, and a real question about how lenders would treat the sales-side commission income. Plenty of working couples in their position have one salaried partner and one commission-earning partner, and the lender’s approach to the variable income can shift the borrowing capacity by tens of thousands of pounds.
The case at a glance
- Buyers: Joint applicants, employed
- Nationality: British
- Occupations: Admin / finance support professional + sales professional
- Property type: Three-bedroom terraced house
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset
- Purchase price: £292,000
- Deposit: £52,000 from personal savings (approx. 18%)
- Loan amount: £240,000
- LTV: 82%
- Lender: NatWest Intermediary Solutions
- Repayment method: Capital and interest
- Completion: May 2026
The challenge
The case looks straightforward on the surface, and on the lender side it largely was, but the income shape needed handling carefully.
Commission income assessment varies by lender. Sales income that includes commission can be treated differently by different lenders. Some take 100% of commission averaged over the last two years from P60s and payslips. Others take 50% of commission and average across two years. Others want to see consistent commission for a longer period before counting it at all.
The same applicant can produce noticeably different “lender income” figures depending on which lender’s approach applies.
Joint affordability at this loan size. A £240,000 loan on standard 4.5x lending implies combined income of c.£53k+. With one salaried income and one base-plus-commission income, the lender’s income approach materially affects whether the case fits comfortably or sits at the edge of affordability.
82% LTV pricing. At 82% LTV, the case landed just inside the 85% LTV pricing band on most lender ranges. That’s a workable band, better than 90% LTV pricing, less competitive than 75% LTV, and lender choice mattered for getting the sharpest rate available in the bracket.
A clean self-funded deposit. The £52,000 deposit was entirely personal savings, with no gift, no scheme, no incentive. That’s a strong, clean position that simplifies the lender’s view of the case.
How Heron Financial approached the recommendation
The Heron adviser focused on income assessment first, because that decides how cleanly the case runs.
Income assessment across the panel. Heron Financial reviewed how each shortlisted lender would treat the salaried income (straightforward) and the sales income (base plus commission, with the commission averaged or proportionally treated depending on the lender’s approach). Different lenders produced different combined income figures from the same payslips and P60s.
Lender choice. NatWest was the right home for this case. Their treatment of sales commission income, combined with their pricing at the 85% LTV band and their clean affordability approach for joint employed couples, produced the strongest overall outcome.
Affordability sized to the loan. The £240,000 loan sat comfortably within NatWest’s affordability for the combined income, with the right multiple applied rather than the case sitting on the edge.
Product choice. A fixed rate gave the clients payment certainty in the early years of the new home. For a couple where one income is commission-based and naturally varies month to month, payment certainty has particular value; it makes the household budget easier to plan around even in quieter sales months.
The outcome
The mortgage completed in May 2026. The clients moved into their new home with:
A £240,000 mortgage at 82% LTV
A fixed rate on capital and interest repayment
An income assessment that treated the sales commission cleanly
A first home funded entirely from their own deposit
What this means for buyers in a similar position
If you’re buying jointly and one of you earns through a salary while the other earns through base plus commission, lender choice matters more than the headline rate comparison sites suggest. Commission income is treated very differently across the high street, some lenders effectively halve it, others take it at full value if you can evidence a consistent track record. The same combined income on paper can produce a borrowing range that varies by tens of thousands depending on the lender. A broker who knows each lender’s specific approach to commission income can place the case where the combined affordability works hardest, which often means a bigger loan, a better rate, or both.
FAQs
Can a sales professional with commission income get a mortgage?
Yes. Sales professionals paid on a base plus commission structure are widely catered for by UK lenders. Income is typically evidenced through three months of payslips and the latest two P60s, with the commission element averaged over the past one to two years. The lender’s specific approach to commission affects the assessed income figure significantly.
How do lenders treat commission income on a mortgage application?
It varies materially by lender. Some use 100% of commission averaged over the past two years. Others use 50%. Others require a longer track record (12 or 24 months) before counting commission at all. A few lenders take the most recent year if it’s higher; others always use the lower of the two. Lender choice can shift the assessed income by thousands.
Can a couple with one salaried and one commission-based income buy a house together?
Yes. This is a common joint application profile. The salaried income gives the lender a stable base; the commission income, properly evidenced, adds to the affordability calculation. The right lender choice depends on which lender’s commission approach produces the strongest combined income for the case.
How much deposit do you need to buy a £292,000 house?
At 90% LTV you’d need a 10% deposit, £29,000. At 85% LTV, a 15% deposit (£43,000). At 80% LTV, 20% (£58,000). Larger deposits, 25% at 75% LTV, typically unlock better rates. This case landed at 82% LTV with an £52,500 deposit, putting it just inside the 85% LTV pricing band.
Is 82% LTV a good band for a joint mortgage?
It’s a workable band. Lenders price by LTV tier, typically 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 60%, and 82% LTV sits just inside the 85% LTV bracket. Pricing is better than 90% LTV but not as sharp as 75% or 60%. If you can stretch the deposit slightly to drop into the 80% or 75% LTV band, the rate benefit is often worth the extra cash. If not, 82% LTV gets you into the property on competitive mainstream terms.
