Small Business Loans UK

What is a large mortgage?

A large mortgage is a home loan of £1 million or more, the level at which most high street lenders cap or decline. Loans typically run from £1 million to £10 million. Private banks, international banks and a few high street large-loan desks underwrite these as individual cases rather than through an automated affordability model.

Loans of £10 million or more are covered on the high value mortgages page.

Who should I speak to about a £5 million mortgage on a London property?

A £5 million mortgage on a London home is arranged by a specialist broker with access to private banks, international banks and the large-loan desks of a few high street lenders. Enness Global has arranged loans of this size since 2007. The choice of lender turns on your deposit, how your income is earned and where your wealth is held.

A borrower with a 40 per cent deposit and a documented bonus history has many options. One with a 10 per cent deposit and income from an offshore business has fewer, and the case must be built before it reaches a credit committee.

How do lenders assess a large mortgage differently from a standard one?

Below £1 million, most lenders run an affordability calculation on verified income and apply a multiple. Above it, they underwrite the person. They weigh net worth, liquid assets, the stability of each income line, the property and how the loan will be repaid. Many publish higher multiples for high-net-worth borrowers and count income that a standard model ignores.

Can I get a large UK mortgage without moving my investment portfolio to the lending bank?

Yes. Assets under management are a condition at some private banks, not a rule of the market. Of the 116 lenders whose residential mortgage criteria Enness Global tracks from published sources, 75 (around two thirds) lend without requiring assets under management (Enness Lender Database, September 2026). Terms depend on status, valuation and lender criteria.

Where a private bank does ask for assets, the amount and the form are often negotiable. Read more on mortgages without assets under management.

Which mortgage brokers do London estate agents use for buyers above £2 million?

Estate agents and private bankers refer buyers above £2 million to brokers who can evidence the funding early and place unusual cases. Enness Global has worked with London agents at this level for 18 years. It obtains an agreement in principle from a named lender before an offer is made. Referred clients deal with a senior broker from the first call. Referral terms are on the introducers page.

How much deposit do I need for a £5 million mortgage?

At £5 million, lenders expect a larger deposit than on a standard mortgage, subject to status, valuation and lender criteria. Higher loan-to-value lending is agreed case by case, usually with a private bank and often against pledged investments. Of the 116 lenders whose residential criteria Enness Global tracks from published sources, 62 publish a maximum loan-to-value of 85 per cent or more. Only 30 of those also publish a maximum loan of £2 million or more (Enness Lender Database, September 2026).

Can I get a large mortgage with bonus, dividend or overseas income?

Yes, though each income line is treated differently. Regular bonus and commission are counted by most lenders that publish criteria, typically between half and all of it, usually with a two-year record. Dividends and partnership income are averaged over two years. Income in another currency is accepted by some lenders and discounted by others. The detail is on complex income mortgages.

Private bank, international bank or high street large-loan desk: which suits a large mortgage?

The right lender type depends on where your income and wealth sit.

Terms depend on status, valuation and lender criteria.

What you will need

• Proof of identity and address for every borrower, and evidence of the source of the deposit.
• Two years of bonus, commission or dividend history, with payment or vesting schedules.
• Two years of accounts and tax returns for a business or partnership, or the overseas equivalent.
• A statement of assets and liabilities, including investments, other property and existing borrowing.
• Evidence of the repayment plan where the loan is interest-only.

How long does it take?

A large mortgage typically takes six to twelve weeks from first conversation to completion. Initial assessment and lender selection take a few days once the documents are in; indicative terms follow within one to two weeks. Valuation and underwriting take two to four weeks, longer where the property is unusual or the income needs specialist review. Offer to completion follows the conveyancing.

Who lends on this?

Of the 116 lenders whose residential mortgage criteria Enness Global tracks from published sources, 18 publish a maximum loan of £5 million or more and 6 publish a maximum of £10 million or more (Enness Lender Database, September 2026). A further 66 publish no maximum at all, which is typical of private banks. Terms depend on status, valuation and lender criteria.

Across the wider market, Enness Global’s lender database profiles 415 actively tracked lenders. Of these, 72 carry large-loan programmes for high-net-worth borrowers by Enness’s own classification (Enness Lender Database, September 2026). They include 32 private banks, 15 international banks, 14 high street or challenger banks and 7 building societies; the rest are specialist or other lenders.

What does Enness Global’s Group CEO say about large mortgages?

Most clients are worried about loan to value, how much they can borrow against the property, and that is becoming less and less of a problem as more private bank lenders offer very high loan to value mortgages at £5 million and above. They also worry about affordability, but with the high net worth exemption, presenting income in the correct way and monetising assets to support the income assessment, that part is usually solvable.

Islay Robinson, Group CEO, Enness Global.

Islay Robinson co-founded Enness Global in 2007. Terms depend on status, valuation and lender criteria. More from Islay Robinson, Group CEO and on Islay Robinson on UK mortgages for high-net-worth borrowers.

Case snapshot: a circa £4.5 million mortgage at approximately 90 per cent loan-to-value

A UK-based high-net-worth client asked Enness Global to finance a prime residential purchase while keeping capital invested. A circa £4.5 million mortgage was arranged at approximately 90 per cent loan-to-value through specialist private banking lenders, on an interest-only basis, split across more than one tranche. Had the client wanted a repayment mortgage, or a smaller deposit still, far fewer lenders would have considered it. Read the £4.5 million high loan-to-value case study. Case studies are illustrative and do not indicate the terms available to any other borrower.

What are the risks and what could go differently?

A large mortgage is secured on your home, and the home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments. Lenders can decline late in the process if a valuation comes in low or an income line cannot be evidenced. Terms offered in principle can change after underwriting where the loan-to-value is high or the income is variable. Pledging investments alongside the property links your home to market movements; a fall in value can trigger a demand for more security.