Mortgages for solicitors

A solicitor's mortgage changes character along the career: a modest trainee salary, a jump on qualification, then profit share as a partner that lenders read like self-employed income.

Last checked 13 September 2026. Editor: Kris · editorial standards

Sources checked 15 October 2026.

1. Trainees

There is no regulatory minimum salary for trainee solicitors: the Solicitors Regulation Authority removed it in 2014, leaving only the national minimum or living wage (SRA). The Law Society recommended £24,916 outside London and £28,090 in London for 2025/26 (Law Society, July 2025), and now points employers to the real living wage as a minimum (Law Society, QWE). Actual trainee pay varies enormously by firm. A training contract is fixed-term, so ask whether the lender treats it as permanent; most professional ranges also require you to be qualified.

2. Newly qualified

Qualification is when professional mortgages become relevant. Metro Bank's range, for instance, is for solicitors who "qualified in the last ten years", and both ranges below require you to be registered and practising. You can show your status on the SRA Solicitors Register. Lenders count your new salary from your contract and first payslip.

Brightly painted Victorian houses with white window frames — Photo: Gilley Aguilar / Unsplash

Professional mortgages: what lenders actually publish

A handful of lenders have a "professional" range that lends more than the usual 4 to 4.5 times income to people in named professions. Criteria as published on 15 October 2026:

Lender	Up to	Main conditions
Metro Bank, professional range	6 × income	Qualified in the last ten years; registered with the UK professional body and practising; subject to affordability
Kensington, professionals	6 × income, up to 90% LTV	Fully qualified, registered and practising; minimum income £35,000 single or £50,000 joint

Both are offered through mortgage brokers, and both say the multiple is subject to affordability, so the full 6 × is a ceiling rather than a promise. Lenders change these ranges often; a broker will know the current list. Separately, from 28 October 2026 lenders no longer each have to keep loans at 4.5 × income or more under 15% of their own lending, only the market as a whole (PRA and FCA, PS19/26), which may make higher multiples easier to find.

3. Partners and LLP members

Equity partners and LLP members are taxed on their share of the profits through Self Assessment, and every member must register for it (GOV.UK, LLPs; partnerships). Lenders therefore assess you like a self-employed borrower: usually two years of SA302s and tax year overviews, sometimes the firm's accounts or an accountant's certificate showing your share. Drawings aren't income: lenders look at the profit share on the tax return. Some lenders cap self-employed applicants at a lower multiple (Virgin Money caps them at 4.49 times).

Salaried partners are different: HMRC's salaried-member rules can put some LLP members on PAYE (HMRC Partnership Manual). If you're paid through payroll, lenders treat you as employed. New equity partners often face a capital contribution and a first year with no full tax return as a partner; a broker can find lenders that use projected profit share with a firm letter.

4. Example

A solicitor three years qualified on £90,000: about £405,000 at 4.5 times, up to £540,000 at 6 times on a professional range, subject to affordability. The same person as a new equity partner with only one year's profit share on a tax return may find many lenders won't use it yet.

5. What to tell a broker

Your stage: trainee, qualified (and year of qualification), salaried partner or equity partner.
For partners: profit share for the last two years, how you're paid, and any capital contribution loan.
Bonuses: how much, and whether guaranteed.

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General information, not advice. Mortgage Brokers List is a directory and a set of free tools. Only an FCA-authorised adviser can recommend a mortgage for your circumstances. See our editorial standards.