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Specialist Mortgages for Brokers

For those cases that fall outside standard specialist criteria. Quirks such as social housing leases, complex securities, layered company structures, expats and foreign nationals and adverse credit – we still keep things straightforward.

With access to the lowest rates and the widest range of products on the market, we sense-check early and package it perfectly so even the most complex circumstances will get through underwriting the first time. We’re clever like that.

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For brokers and introducers. We partner with advisers on their clients’ cases. Looking for finance yourself? See our complex income mortgages page.

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Clever Lending Team

What Makes Us So Clever

We don’t just “find rates.” We navigate the entire process for you and get you the best possible terms. Whether it is reviewing social housing leases (how long they run and who they’re to, including providers such as Care in the Community, SERCO and NACRO), complex properties like flats above shops, high-rise, short leases, non-standard construction and semi-commercial layouts, as well as layered company structures (holding companies, trusts and charities).

We also support expats, foreign nationals buying for UK investment, and cases involving adverse credit – all placed with lenders who specialise in the nitty-gritty.

Specialist Circumstances Criteria Overview

Access to exclusive, market-leading rates
Regulated and unregulated loans
Loans of up to £50m
Up to 100% LTV
Terms up to 12 months (bridging) and up to 25 years (term)
Flexible interest structures (serviced, rolled, retained or combination)
1st, 2nd and cross charges accepted
Light and heavy refurbishment projects
Staged drawdowns and up to 100% of build costs
Residential, commercial and semi-commercial property accepted
Sole traders, LLPs, SPVs and LTD companies accepted
Expat and foreign national lending available
Lending in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
No exit fees or ERCs on bridging loans (with most lenders)
Lend on open market value (with most lenders)
Lease extension and short-lease funding available
Specialist Mortgages

How Clever Lending Handles a Specialist Circumstances Case

Typical Timings: Specialist circumstances vary, as do the timings. With the right documents ready upfront, many cases can still move quickly but we will push forward, regardless.

Same-Day Sense Check

Send the outline: property and security, amount and leverage, timescale, exit, and any quirks, and we will come back within 24 working hours with target lenders and the likely structure.

Lender-Specific Pack List

One checklist per lender and no blanket uploads - which means fewer re-underwrites.

DIP → Valuation → Offer

We submit the DIP to secure initial terms, then move straight into full application. Once the pack is in, we instruct valuation, submit to the lender and progress the case through to offer.

Legals & Completion

We keep legals moving and update you at every part of the process. If a date shifts, you’ll hear it from us first (along with a new date).

What we need from you

To help your client move quickly, it helps to have the key details and documents lined up ready.
Here’s what we’ll need to sense-check your specialist circumstances case and get it lender-ready.

Core Details:

  • Property address and security type
  • Borrower profile and background
  • Loan amount, term, and exit route (where relevant)
  • Property type and occupancy position
  • Ownership structure (company/trust/charity etc.)
  • Lease terms (if relevant)
  • Any known credit history issues

Documents:

  • ID and proof of address for all applicants
  • Bank statements (3-6 months)
  • Existing mortgage statements (if relevant)
  • Company documents / structure summary
  • Tenancy agreements / leases (if income-supported)
  • Probate documents (for inheritance bridging)

Recent broker wins

Owner-occ warehouse purchase

~75% LTV over 20 years; seasonal covenants agreed up-front; 6-week completion.

Parade investment refinance

~70% LTV; DSCR stacked from staggered leases; capital raised for acquisitions.

Shop with uppers

~75% LTV; retail + resi income assessed separately; title tidy-up pre-offer.

(Anonymised; figures indicative.)

Speak to Someone Clever about Specialist Mortgages

Refer your case, and we’ll come back within 24 working hours with a realistic route and a clear list of what we need to issue formal terms. If, for whatever reason, the case doesn’t fit, we will tell you immediately and explain exactly why.

There are no fees payable until we have a solution, and you will always speak to an advisor, not to a triage team passing you on. We believe in speaking to an expert at the start.

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Complex Circumstances FAQs

Basically, anything that sits outside mainstream and standard specialist criteria. Usually, if the property type, lease, borrower profile, or ownership structure requires a more considered approach.
Yes. We can review supported living and social housing leases, including who the lease is to and how long it runs for. We have placed cases involving providers such as Care in the Community, SERCO, and NACRO, MEARS & Clearspring subject to lender appetite and the lease profile.
Yes. We regularly sense-check and place cases involving above-shop flats, properties close to commercial use, and semi-commercial layouts. Lender appetite varies, but we will confirm the best route quickly.
Often, yes. We can place short-lease bridging, and in some cases, lease extension / lease-related funding may be possible. We will sense-check the lease term and exit strategy early.
Yes. However, lender appetite varies depending on the build type, valuation approach, and exit plan. We’ll confirm the most suitable lenders upfront.
Yes, case-by-case. We’ll sense-check the block type, cladding/EWS1 position (if applicable), and lender acceptance early so you don’t waste time.
Yes. We support semi-commercial and mixed-use security where the setup makes sense and advise early on whether it’s best placed as a bridging loan or commercial mortgage.
Yes. We can package cases involving holding companies, trusts, charities, and more complex ownership structures, subject to lender requirements and documentation.
Yes. We can support UK nationals living abroad buying in the UK, either for investment or for use when returning to the UK. We’ll confirm lender appetite, residency, income and banking position early.
Yes. We can place foreign national UK investment cases with the right lender fit and documentation. Appetite varies depending on nationality, residency status, income profile and deposit position.
Yes. We can place adverse credit cases where the story stacks up. That includes missed payments, defaults or historic CCJs, depending on severity, recency and overall strength of the case.
Any case where the security, borrower or income falls outside high-street and standard specialist criteria. Examples include supported-living or social-housing leases, layered company ownership, trusts and charities, complex adverse credit, expats with non-standard income, flats above shops, high-rise with cladding, non-standard construction, short leases and very large loans. We sense-check within 24 hours and tell you immediately if a case is unplaceable.
Yes. We have lenders comfortable with supported-living, social-housing and Care-in-the-Community leases including SERCO, NACRO, MEARS and Clearspring lease structures. These cases require careful packaging around lease length, rent review mechanism and the FCA-registered Registered Provider counterparty. They make sensible deals because the head-lease income supports strong DSCR.
Yes. Flats above commercial premises (shops, offices, professional services) are well served by a specialist sub-set of lenders. Flats above hot food takeaways, pubs and bars are more restricted, although we have lender relationships that can place them at conservative LTV. The mortgage is structured residentially or semi-commercially depending on the property mix and intent.
Yes. A small but capable lender pool will fund high-rise flats once external wall safety has been clarified via the latest external wall fire review (PAS9980 or EWS1 where relevant). We package high-rise cladding cases against the documents available and match each case to lenders whose policy aligns to the property's specific position on the cladding remediation pathway.
Our panel accepts a wide range of adverse credit: historic and recent defaults, CCJs, missed payments, DMPs, IVAs and discharged bankruptcies. Rates and LTVs scale to the severity and recency of the events. A well-explained credit story with supporting documentation produces better outcomes than blank application forms. We pre-screen cases to identify realistic lender appetite before submission.
Yes. Layered ownership structures (trusts, holding companies, charities) are well-suited to specialist commercial and bridging lenders rather than mainstream residential lenders. Underwriting requires full transparency on the corporate structure, ultimate beneficial owners and the purpose of the structure. We pre-screen the structure and identify which lenders can fund without forcing the client to restructure.
Yes. Short leasehold cases (sub-80 years) are placeable with a specialist lender sub-set, sometimes with the mortgage funding the lease extension as part of the deal. Statutory and informal extension routes both have implications for valuation and timing. We model the lease-extension cost against the post-extension value so the deal stacks at submission.
Yes. Non-standard construction (concrete-frame, steel-frame, timber-frame, Wimpey No-Fines, Cornish unit, BISF, ex-PRC) is well served by specialist lenders. Each construction type has known lender preferences. We match the property's exact construction designation to lenders with active appetite, often unlocking mortgages where the high street has refused.
Yes. Foreign nationals (resident and non-resident) can be placed via our specialist panel, with both residential and BTL options available. KYC and source-of-funds documentation are enhanced. Jurisdictions on FATF or sanctions watchlists are excluded. Major-currency income from G10 jurisdictions is widely accepted. Emerging-market income is placeable with a narrower lender pool at higher pricing.

More process and commercial questions, covering referrals, packaging, fees and payment, are answered in our broker FAQs.

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