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Private client · from around £1m

Private client mortgages

Larger loans, read as a whole.

In a sentence

A private client mortgage is advice on a larger or more complex loan. We arrange loans from around £1 million, including cases well above £5 million, and compare private banks and specialist lenders alongside the high street, for people whose income or wealth takes more than a payslip to explain.

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No credit check · no obligation

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it.

Reviewed by Nathan Lawes, mortgage adviser · 27 October 2026

A pair of heavy panelled doors standing open onto a sunlit garden, warm light falling across stone flags.
80+
lenders
£495
standard fee
Free
first conversation
FRN 1046161
Appointed representative
A note from Nathan

At this level, the size of the loan is rarely the hard part. The hard part is that your income doesn't arrive as one neat salary. A bonus that moves each year. Shares that vest on a schedule. Profits you've chosen to leave in the company. Income paid in another currency. A standard application has nowhere to put much of that, so it counts part of it, or none.

I start with the whole picture, then take it to the lenders who read it properly: private banks, specialist lenders, and the high street where it fits. You deal with me from the first conversation to completion, and you'll know what each lender wants in return before you decide.

Mortgage adviser · London-based
In short

What is a private client mortgage?

  • We arrange loans from around £1 million, including cases well above £5 million.

  • We compare private banks and specialist lenders alongside the high street.

  • Bonuses, share awards, business profits and foreign-currency income are each read differently by different lenders.

  • The first conversation is free, with no obligation.

Checked October 2026. General information, not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation.

Who it’s for

Who is a private client mortgage for?

People borrowing from around £1 million, sometimes well above £5 million, whose finances take more than a payslip to explain.

  1. High earners

    Salary and bonus, often with share awards that vest over several years, or partnership profits.

    For example A partner whose bonus is half of their pay.

  2. Business owners

    Profits across one business or several, some of it left in the company on purpose.

    For example Two companies, with profits kept back for growth.

  3. Company directors

    A modest salary, dividends on top, and retained profits a lender may or may not count.

    For example A small salary, with dividends making up the rest.

  4. Expats

    Buying or refinancing in the UK while living and earning abroad, sometimes in another currency.

    For example Paid in dollars in Dubai, buying a home in London.

  5. Portfolio landlords

    Refinancing or growing a portfolio, personally or through a company.

    For example Twelve properties across three lenders, brought together.

How we help

How do we help?

Across the market

Private banks and specialist lenders alongside the high street. Some read income by hand rather than by algorithm; we know which, and what each will ask to see.

Interest-only, with a plan

Interest-only can be available on larger loans where there's a credible plan to repay the capital, such as investments, other property or the sale of a business. Your monthly payments are lower than on a repayment mortgage, but the full loan is still owed when the term ends.

The relationship, explained honestly

Some private banks lend as part of a wider relationship and may ask you to hold savings or investments with them, or move your current account. That can bring a fuller service, and it ties part of your wealth to one bank. We set out what each one asks before you decide.

Discretion

One point of contact: Nathan, from the first conversation to completion. Each case is handled in strict confidence. Your documents go only where your case needs them, such as the lender you apply to and the firm that oversees our advice, as our privacy notice sets out.

The readingPlate 08 · How a private bank reads your picture

How does a private bank read your picture?

Tap what applies to you. The drawing shows which kinds of lender typically consider that picture. Nothing you tap is stored.

A general picture of how lenders often read income and assets, checked October 2026. Not the terms of any one lender, not advice, and nothing you tap is stored. Each lender sets its own criteria.

Private banks

Typically counts salary.

Specialist lenders

Typically counts salary.

High street

Typically counts salary.

1 selected. Private banks: Typically counts salary. Specialist lenders: Typically counts salary. High street: Typically counts salary.

Three cases

What has this looked like for other clients?

Shared with each client’s permission, with nothing that identifies them.

2026 · London

A first home in London, around £1.5 million

The situation

A first-time buyer whose pay came from salary, a bonus structure and share awards, alongside other income.

What we did

We found a lender that would take all of it into account, not just the salary.

The outcome

Completed on time in 2026.

The process

What happens, step by step?

  1. First conversation

    A private call by phone, WhatsApp or Teams. We go through how you're paid, what you own and what you're trying to do. It's free, with no obligation.

  2. Decision in principle

    We take your picture to the lenders that read it well and get an agreement in principle or, with a private bank, an early view from its credit team, so you know where you stand before you commit.

  3. Offer

    The lender values the property and checks the documents; a private bank may take the case to its credit committee. Once it's approved, the lender issues the formal mortgage offer.

  4. Completion

    Your solicitor handles the legal work and the funds are released. We stay in touch, and look at your options again well before any deal ends.

Questions

Questions people ask

What is a private client mortgage?

It's our name for advice on larger and more complex mortgages, from around £1 million and including cases well above £5 million, where the income or wealth behind the application doesn't fit a standard form. We compare private banks and specialist lenders alongside the high street, and Nathan handles the case personally from the first conversation to completion.

What is a private bank mortgage?

A mortgage from a bank that lends as part of a wider banking relationship. Private banks often read the whole of your finances by hand, including bonuses, share awards and investments, and some ask you to hold savings or investments with them in return. Our guide explains more: What is a private bank mortgage, and who is it for?

Do I need to move my investments to a private bank to get a mortgage?

Not necessarily. Some private banks ask you to hold a share of your wealth with them, some ask for a current account, and some lend without either. The terms vary by bank and by case, so we set out what each one asks before you decide.

Do I need millions in savings to use a private bank?

Often, a private bank looks for a minimum amount in savings and investments, not counting your home. The level varies from bank to bank and changes over time, and some make exceptions, for example for business owners with strong earnings. If a private bank isn't the right fit, specialist lenders can be an alternative for larger and more complex loans.

Can I get an interest-only mortgage on a larger loan?

Possibly, if you have a credible plan to repay the capital at the end of the term, such as investments, other property or the sale of a business. Your monthly payments are lower than on a repayment mortgage, but the full loan is still owed when the term ends. Each lender decides which repayment plans it accepts.

Should I use a broker for a £2 million mortgage?

A broker can help when the loan is large or the income is complex, because lenders read the same picture differently, and some private banks and specialist lenders work with advisers. We compare them alongside the high street and tell you plainly what each would ask of you. The first conversation is free.

Nathan’s take
People at this level often go straight to the private bank they already use. I understand why: it knows them. But it may not be the right fit, and you won't know until you've seen what it asks in return and what else is out there.
How do I start?

A private consultation

Tell us a little, and Nathan will be in touch personally, usually within one working day.

Nathan Lawes
Mortgage adviser · London-based

What happens next

  1. Nathan reads your note and replies personally, usually within one working day.
  2. Your first conversation, by phone, WhatsApp or Teams: free, with no obligation.
  3. Then a clear view of which lenders would read your picture well, and what each would ask.

Our standard fee is £495, payable when your application is submitted. In some more complex cases, an additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply. The first conversation is always free, and we always confirm your total fee in writing before any work starts.

We are also paid a procuration fee by the lender if your case completes, and we will tell you what it is before you proceed.

Step 1 of 2How to reach you

How should we reach you?

Each case is handled in strict confidence. We use these details only to reply to you. Privacy notice.

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it.