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Mortgages
Kensington Mortgages is a specialist lender for self-employed borrowers, those with complex income, and applicants with past credit issues. Here's how their products, eligibility criteria, and application process work, so you can see if they're right for you.
Kensington Mortgages is a specialist lender that's a good option if you're self-employed, have complex income, or have had credit difficulties in the past. They use human underwriters rather than automated credit scoring, accept self-employed applicants with just 1 year's accounts, and offer fixed rate terms up to 40 years.
Overall, Kensington Mortgages tends to suit borrowers who've struggled to fit mainstream lending criteria and who value flexible, case-by-case underwriting over the lowest possible rate.
Kensington Mortgages is one of the UK's best-known specialist lenders, built for borrowers who don't fit standard high-street criteria. If you're self-employed, have complex income, or have had credit difficulties in the past, Kensington Mortgages is worth considering as part of your search.
This review covers Kensington's product range, eligibility criteria, application process, fees, and customer feedback, so you can decide whether they're a good fit for your circumstances.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
Overall, we rate Kensington Mortgages 4.2 out of 5.
Self-employed borrowers, those with complex income, applicants with past credit issues, first-time buyers who need higher income multiples, and buy-to-let landlords with larger portfolios.
Borrowers with clean credit and straightforward income who could access cheaper pricing on the high street.
Quick verdict
Kensington Mortgages has been lending to borrowers overlooked by mainstream banks since 1995, completing its first loan in December that year. Since then, it's grown into the UK's leading non-bank specialist mortgage lender, with a mortgage book worth more than £5 billion.
Kensington was acquired by Barclays in March 2023. The two lenders continue to operate separately, with Kensington keeping its specialist focus and independent lending criteria.
Where many high-street lenders rely on automated credit scoring and rigid rules, Kensington takes a different approach. Every application is assessed by a human underwriter who looks at your individual circumstances rather than relying purely on a computer-generated score.
Kensington describes this as a "head and heart" approach, combining data analysis with human judgement. In practice, this means they can sometimes approve borrowers who've been declined elsewhere.
Kensington specialises in:
Kensington offers a wide range of mortgage products for residential borrowers, first-time buyers, remortgagers, and buy-to-let landlords. Rates and fees change regularly, so speak to an advisor for current pricing - here's how the ranges are structured.
Kensington's residential range is structured around your credit profile, from borrowers with a small amount of historic adverse credit through to those rebuilding their credit more recently.
Kensington regularly runs special rate products with added incentives, which can include:
Kensington is a strong option for landlords, particularly those with larger portfolios or non-standard properties.
Key buy-to-let features include:
Mortgages for Heroes is designed for key workers, including armed forces personnel, firefighters, police officers, NHS clinicians, and teachers in the public sector. Key workers can borrow up to 5x income under this scheme.
Professionals mortgages are aimed at qualified professionals such as doctors, dentists, solicitors, barristers, accountants, engineers, and architects, who can borrow up to 6x income - useful for those early in their careers with strong earning potential.
eKo Green mortgages offer cashback on new build properties with an EPC rating of A or B, encouraging more energy-efficient purchases.
Flexi Fixed for Term mortgages let you fix your rate for 11 to 40 years, with affordability calculated on the fixed rate rather than a stressed variable rate, and no early repayment charges for certain life events.
Own New Rate Reducer uses a housebuilder's incentive towards your mortgage on new build purchases, reducing your initial payments during the fixed period. It's only available through brokers registered with Own New.
Products with the lowest headline rate often carry the highest fees, so the cheapest-looking deal isn't always the cheapest overall. Ask your advisor to compare the total cost over your fixed period, not just the rate.
One of Kensington's biggest selling points is how flexible their eligibility criteria are compared with mainstream lenders. Here's what matters most.
If you're borrowing beyond age 70, Kensington can consider this on repayment mortgages up to age 75 at the end of the term.
Kensington doesn't set a minimum income for most products (the Young Professional range is an exception). Instead, they focus on overall affordability.
Income multiples:
Income types accepted include employed (PAYE) income, self-employed income, contractor income, limited company director income, rental income for buy-to-let, second job income (minimum 6 months), overtime and bonuses (up to 100% can be used), investment income, and pension income.
Kensington is particularly accommodating for self-employed borrowers.
This is more flexible than most high street lenders, who typically ask for 2-3 years' accounts from self-employed applicants.
Kensington's approach to adverse credit varies by product tier.
Select criteria (lightest touch): for borrowers just outside mainstream criteria, with adverse credit generally 3+ years old. Communication and insurance defaults are ignored, and utility defaults up to £250 per application are accepted.
Core criteria (more flexibility): accepts defaults and satisfied debts over 24 months old, unsecured credit issues if now up to date, and active debt management plans with 12 months' positive payment history.
What Kensington won't accept: serious debt or insolvency issues within the last 6 years, payday loans within the last 24 months, recent defaults (under 2 years for Core, under 3 years for Select), or unsatisfied debt concerns registered in the last 3 months.
Kensington uses Equifax for credit checks. You can check your Equifax score for free through services like ClearScore before applying.
Kensington accepts standard houses and flats, new builds, ex-local authority properties, and HMOs and multi-unit blocks for buy-to-let, across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The minimum property value for buy-to-let is £150,000, and mortgage offers are valid for 180 days, with extensions sometimes available for purchases.
If you're worried about how a past default or missed payment will be viewed, it's worth having your broker check with Kensington's underwriting team before you formally apply. Their case-by-case approach means a quick conversation can often confirm whether it's worth proceeding.
Complex income or credit issues?
An advisor can check your circumstances against Kensington's eligibility rules and compare them with other specialist lenders, so you know where you stand.
How much you could borrow depends on your income, the product you're eligible for, and your overall affordability. The examples below are illustrative only - your actual borrowing will depend on your individual circumstances, deposit, existing commitments, and credit history.
When assessing affordability, Kensington looks at:
Understanding the full cost of a Kensington mortgage means looking beyond the headline rate.
Kensington offers a range of fee structures. As a general rule, lower rates tend to come with higher fees.
Fees can usually be added to the loan, though affordability is calculated on the gross loan amount, including the fee.
Free valuations are available on many products. Where they're not included, standard valuation fees apply.
For remortgages, Kensington offers free standard legal fees in England, Wales, and Scotland, or cashback as an alternative. This isn't available in Northern Ireland. For purchases, you'll need to arrange and pay for your own solicitor.
Early repayment charges (ERCs) apply if you repay your mortgage during the initial fixed or tracker period. The exact charges vary by product - your advisor can confirm the figures for any product you're considering.
You'll usually have a 10% annual overpayment allowance from your completion date and each anniversary after that. Payments within this allowance won't trigger an ERC, though any unused allowance doesn't carry over to the next year. Flexi Fixed for Term products don't apply ERCs for certain life events.
If you're ever worried about keeping up with your mortgage payments, contact Kensington's customer service team as early as possible. Free, independent guidance is also available from MoneyHelper on 0800 138 7777.
Kensington is an intermediary-only lender, so you can't apply to them directly. You'll need to go through a mortgage broker, who can assess whether Kensington is the right fit and compare their products against alternatives. On average, applications move from submission to offer in around 12 days, though complex cases can take 3-6 weeks.
You'll typically need to provide:
Self-employed applicants will also need an SA302 (HMRC tax calculation) or accountant-certified accounts covering the latest 12 months, plus a tax year overview.
Kensington accepts online SA302 documents as long as the HMRC logo, your unique tax reference number, your name, and the tax year are clearly visible. Downloading these directly from your HMRC online account can save time versus requesting paper copies.
How it works
Find a specialist mortgage broker
Kensington is only available through brokers. We connect you with an advisor experienced in specialist and complex-income cases.
Initial application
Your broker gathers your identity documents, proof of address, income evidence, and bank statements to submit an initial application.
Decision in principle
Kensington typically provides a decision in principle within 48 hours, based on a soft credit search that won't affect your credit score.
Full application and underwriting
A dedicated underwriter is assigned to your case, reviewing your documentation, assessing affordability, and arranging a valuation.
Property valuation
Kensington instructs a valuation of the property. Many products include a free valuation.
Mortgage offer
Once approved, you'll receive a mortgage offer that's valid for 180 days, with extensions sometimes available for purchases.
Completion
Your solicitor handles the legal work. For remortgages, Kensington's panel solicitors may cover this where free legals are included.
Kensington offers several ways to get in touch, along with online account management.
One of Kensington's standout features is their dedicated underwriter model. Rather than your case passing through multiple hands, one underwriter manages your application from start to finish, which tends to mean faster query resolution and clearer communication throughout.
If you're an existing Kensington customer coming to the end of your deal:
Kensington has a dedicated complaints process if things go wrong, with full details available on their website. If you're not satisfied with their response, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Customer opinion on Kensington is mixed, depending on where you look.
Kensington holds an "Excellent" rating of 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot, from over 6,900 reviews - one of the highest ratings among specialist lenders.
What customers praise:
Common complaints:
One reviewer wrote: "Kensington made buying my first home so much easier than I expected. They offered a fair interest rate even with my adverse credit history and the whole process was quick and smooth."
Another noted: "Took a lot of back and forth questions, but I suppose that's what they have to do. Very pleased with how things went overall."
Kensington's Which? rating tells a different story: they scored 54% for customer satisfaction and received 3 stars for both customer service and value for money, placing them among the lower-rated lenders in Which?'s assessment. This gap likely reflects different customer bases - Trustpilot reviewers may include more brokers and satisfied specialist borrowers, while Which? surveys a broader sample of mortgage holders.
Things to weigh up
It's worth comparing Kensington to other specialist lenders before deciding where to apply.
Comparison
Kensington tends to work best for certain borrower profiles, and less well for others.
Common questions
Yes. Kensington Mortgages is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. They've been operating since 1995 and were acquired by Barclays in 2023. With a mortgage book of more than £5 billion and around three decades of trading, they're one of the UK's most established specialist lenders.
No. Kensington is an intermediary-only lender, which means you have to apply through a mortgage broker. This is common among specialist lenders and helps ensure you receive appropriate advice for more complex products.
Yes, but not in the way most mainstream lenders do. Kensington doesn't rely on automated credit scoring - they check your credit file with Equifax and have human underwriters assess each case individually. A soft search (which doesn't affect your credit score) is used for initial eligibility checks, with a full search carried out when you formally apply.
On average, Kensington processes applications from submission to offer in around 12 days, though complex cases can take 3-6 weeks. You can typically expect a decision in principle within 48 hours of your initial application.
Yes, depending on the type and age of your credit issues. Kensington accepts borrowers with defaults, satisfied debts, and missed payments, typically if these are 2-3+ years old. They won't accept serious debt issues like insolvency within the last 6 years, or payday loans within the last 24 months. Their tiered product range caters to varying degrees of adverse credit.
You'll typically need proof of identity, proof of address, 3 months' bank statements, and income evidence (payslips if you're employed, or accounts or an SA302 if you're self-employed). For more complex cases, be prepared for additional documentation requests - Kensington's thorough approach often means more paperwork than a high street lender.
Yes. You can usually overpay up to 10% of your original loan balance each year without triggering an early repayment charge. This allowance applies from completion and resets on each anniversary, though unused allowance doesn't carry over.
When your fixed or tracker period ends, your mortgage automatically reverts to Kensington's standard rate unless you switch to a new product first. This rate is reviewed periodically, so speak to an advisor or check directly with Kensington for the current figure.
Yes. Kensington offers mortgages compatible with affordable home ownership schemes, including Help to Buy and shared ownership, which can help borrowers with smaller deposits get onto the property ladder.
Yes - this is one of Kensington's core strengths. They accept self-employed applicants with just 1 year's accounts, compared with 2-3 years at many other lenders. For sole traders and partnerships, they'll use your latest year's net profit. For limited company directors, they'll accept salary plus dividends, or net profit if you own 100% of the business.
Kensington's rates are generally higher than mainstream high street pricing, reflecting the flexibility they offer. If you have clean credit and straightforward income, you'll likely find cheaper pricing elsewhere. But if you've been declined by mainstream lenders, Kensington may be one of the few options open to you. Speak to an advisor to compare current pricing for your circumstances.
The maximum loan is £2 million at 80% LTV for borrowers meeting Select criteria. In Northern Ireland, the maximum is £500,000. Kensington also caps total lending to any individual or joint applicants at £2 million combined across residential and buy-to-let mortgages.
Yes. Kensington has a comprehensive buy-to-let range for individual landlords and limited companies, with no maximum property count, portfolio lending up to £5 million, and no automated credit scoring. Products are available for standard buy-to-let properties, as well as HMOs and multi-unit blocks.
Yes, but with some limitations. The maximum loan is £500,000, the maximum LTV is 80%, and the free standard legal fees incentive isn't available in Northern Ireland.
You'll receive a letter around 4 months before your deal ends, with options to switch to a new product. Product transfers don't require credit checks, valuations, or exit fees. If you don't switch, your mortgage will revert to Kensington's standard rate.
What our clients say
Shortly after I spoke with Anna, she was also very helpful and made it effortless and a nice experience.
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Thrilled to share my exceptional experience with Money Saving Advisors. The website made it incredibly simple and easy to connect with an advisor. They helped me find the best deal on my remortgage and secured a very competitive interest rate!
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