As a barrister, your income is inherently variable, driven by case flow, client instructions. Add maternity or paternity leave into the mix, and it’s no surprise your most recent year’s income may appear lower on paper.
For many, this raises a pressing concern: Will a reduced income year affect my mortgage options? Without the right advice, the answer is often yes. But with the right support, the picture changes entirely.
At Henry Dannell, we understand the structure of a barrister’s career and how traditional mortgage assessments can often misrepresent your true financial position. Fortunately, some lenders do see the full picture.
Most high-street banks take a black-and-white view of self-employed income, averaging the last two or three years of earnings and basing affordability strictly on that figure. If one of those years includes a drop in income due to parental leave, the average and your borrowing potential can drop significantly.
But this rigid approach doesn’t account for the reality of your career or generally life itself. A temporary reduction in income during maternity or paternity leave doesn’t reflect your earning capacity or professional trajectory.
Yes, but it often requires a more specialised approach. This is where challenger banks and our role at Henry Dannell can make all the difference.
Through our long-standing relationships with challenger banks, we work with underwriters who take a more holistic view of your situation. These lenders understand the nature of your income and won’t penalise you for taking time out to grow your family.
We work with lenders who can:
This tailored, common-sense approach ensures that one lower-income year doesn’t penalise your borrowing power.
At Henry Dannell, we have built a strong reputation for advising members of the Bar, from pupils at the start of their practice, through to junior partners in their early years, and King’s Counsel. We understand that your income is often driven by casework, client flow, and chambers’ distribution patterns and that it doesn’t always follow a uniform, year-on-year trajectory. That’s why we’ve developed specialist expertise in how to present barristers’ income to lenders in a way that reflects the reality of practice, rather than penalising temporary fluctuations, career breaks, or parental leave.
Influencing How Lenders Underwrite Barrister Applications
Our experience in this space has led to more than just successful client outcomes; it has allowed us to actively influence how certain lenders view barristers as borrowers. We’ve worked directly with underwriting teams to help shape their credit policies, ensuring they account for the nuances of self-employed professional income. In several cases, we’ve been invited to deliver internal training to lending institutions, helping them better understand how to interpret earnings for barristers returning from maternity or paternity leave, or those with irregular year-on-year earnings.
This level of engagement means that when we present a mortgage application for a barrister, it is received by a lender who not only understands your profession but has likely been advised by us on how to assess it. That combination of industry insight and lender influence ensures that your circumstances are not just explained, they are anticipated, understood, and welcomed.
Where traditional banks see risk, we help lenders see reliability.
Expanding your family is a personal milestone and should not result in a financial penalty for your mortgage application. A temporary dip in income should not affect your ability to secure the right mortgage, especially if your return to practice is already underway or imminent.
Where traditional lenders may see inconsistency, we help them see the full picture: professional continuity, future earnings potential, and a strong borrower profile.
If you’re a barrister returning from maternity or paternity leave and looking to secure a mortgage, we’re here to help you do so.