Higher chance of approval 
Common Question
“Hi there, I’ve been declined by my bank, they class the property as uninhabitable as there’s no kitchen, can you get an uninhabitable mortgage?”
Hi there,
Thanks for your enquiry, we’re happy to help.
To mortgage a house without a kitchen or bathroom, many lenders will see it as uninhabitable and won’t consider it suitable security, unfortunately.
That said, every lender has their own policy on kitchen requirements and defining what constitutes a kitchen for mortgage purposes can be subjective, but in general, the basic prerequisite is having running water and functional sink area and is a sealed containable space.
If you are simply between units or the cupboards need new doors, for example, this may be OK.
If you want to mortgage a property with no kitchen, that doesn’t mean you must lose out on purchasing the property altogether, and there are a couple of options the specialists we work with could look at for you.
One is, of course, buying the property outright without a mortgage (if you have the cash available), and the other is a mortgage product called bridging finance (or development finance).
This is a flexible, short-term mortgage and is often the best mortgage product if the property is classed as uninhabitable, because these lenders allow you to buy the property and complete the renovations to make it habitable, so long as you have a strategy to repay the loan before the end of the term.
This is called an “exit strategy”, and acceptable plans may be to remortgage to clear the loan or sell the property on when the work is done.
Bridging finance usually starts at a term of 3 – 6 months and can be up to around 24 months depending on your personal circumstances and how long you need it for!
Important
You may need a higher deposit for bridging finance than compared to a main residential mortgage, as the loan to value limits are usually a maximum of around 70 – 75% of the property value.
Keep in mind that the lenders may ask what experience you have with property renovation, or ask to see plans from the contractors to ensure that they are viable.
Read our in-depth guide on uninhabitable properties.
We have written more about the property development aspect of this in the bridging and short-term finance section.
If you have an enquiry, get in touch and one of the mortgage specialists we work with will be in touch ASAP!
We're so confident in our service, we guarantee it.
We know it's important for you to have complete confidence in our service, and trust that you're getting the best chance of mortgage approval at the best available rate. We guarantee to get your mortgage approved where others can't - or we'll give you £100*
Get Started with a Broker
Maximise your chance of approval with expert advice from an uninhabitable property specialist