The Nottingham enhances self-employed and LTV criteria

Nottingham Building Society has announced a further set of criteria enhancements designed to widen access to homeownership and "remove unnecessary barriers for borrowers".

The Society has further simplified its criteria for self-employed applicants, replacing its previous requirement for three years’ trading or two years plus a projected third year. Going forward, the Society will now consider applications from self-employed borrowers with a minimum of two years’ trading supported by two complete years of financial accounts.

The latest changes also include an increase in the maximum LTV for new build flats from 80% to 85%. 

The lender has also removed its LTV cap for lending into retirement in its entirety. Previously limited to 80% LTV, the change gives greater flexibility to borrowers approaching or entering later life, reflecting longer working lives and the need for lending solutions that better align with financial plans rather than "rigid age-based assumptions".

The updates follow a series of criteria and product enhancements announced by The Nottingham in December, including expanded support for complex income profiles and new buy-to-let solutions introduced in response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. 

Matt Kingston, sales director at Nottingham Building Society, said: “Progress in lending doesn’t always come from headline-grabbing products — it often comes from removing the small but significant barriers that stop people moving forward.

“Whether it’s self-employed borrowers navigating inconsistent criteria, customers planning for later life, or buyers trying to access new build homes, these changes are about making the process clearer, fairer, and more aligned with real-world circumstances.

“We’ve been very deliberate in the changes we’ve made over recent months. They’re part of a broader shift towards a more flexible, specialist approach that recognises how people live and work today — and that momentum won’t slow down in 2026.”