Kensington Mortgages: specialist mortgages through brokers

Kensington is a specialist mortgage lender, not a bank you can walk into. It has been lending for over 30 years and describes itself as the UK's leading specialist residential lender, part of the Barclays group¹. Its mortgages are arranged only through approved mortgage brokers, so there is no branch counter and no direct application³.

What makes it different is its lending criteria. Kensington says it can consider circumstances that mainstream lenders cannot always accommodate, and that it uses human underwriters rather than relying on automated credit scoring¹. That covers past credit problems, self-employment, contracting, more than one income source, and key worker borrowers such as NHS clinicians, teachers, firefighters, police officers and members of the Armed Forces, who may be able to borrow up to 5 times their income¹.

Kensington mortgages: who they are designed for

Kensington's range covers first-time buyers, people moving home and remortgaging, and it includes an eco friendly mortgage⁵. Alongside standard residential lending it offers a variable rate Tracker mortgage for residential and buy to let properties, and a Flexi Fixed for Term product¹⁰.

The common thread is borrowers whose circumstances need explaining rather than scoring. Kensington lists the groups it designs for as people who are self-employed, freelancing, contracting or have more than one income; people with a low deposit; people trying to boost their borrowing power; and key workers². It also lends to buy to let customers¹².

If you are weighing up whether a specialist lender is the right route at all, the wider mortgages guide sets out how the market divides between high street and specialist lending, and the home buying guide covers the purchase process from offer to completion.

Who can get a Kensington mortgage

Kensington's criteria are wider than a high street bank's, but they are still criteria. Applications are assessed by underwriters who look at what you earn and what you spend each month to check the monthly repayments are affordable⁴.

For key workers, Kensington says it could lend up to 5 times income depending on circumstances, and that it takes overtime into account¹. It says it can work with all types of self-employed people, whether sole trader or company director, and can accommodate more than one source of income¹.

On deposits, first-time buyer mortgages are available with a 5% deposit, and on new build purchases Kensington can accept a house builder's deposit of up to 5%⁵. Gifted deposits are accepted from immediate family members: parents including step-parents, grandparents, a non-dependent child, brother, sister, uncle or aunt. If the donor is not a parent or grandparent, they must be a UK homeowner¹⁰. A gifted deposit is simply money given to a homebuyer to help them buy a property¹⁴.

Kensington asks your broker for 3 months of bank statements, which it uses to see evidence of recent income if employed, business income if self-employed, credits if contracting, child maintenance payments, proof of deposit, and your ability to support 3 months of mortgage payments¹³. Proof of deposit can be held in a current or savings account, the funds must have built up over time, and if money was recently moved between accounts, statements for both are needed¹³.

Past credit problems and how Kensington assesses them

Kensington describes itself as a specialist lender used to dealing with less than perfect credit⁴. Its published criteria set out what it can and cannot consider.

The distinction Kensington draws is between priority debts, where missing payments has the most serious consequences, such as mortgage payments and loans secured on your home, rent and council tax, child support and maintenance, gas and electricity bills, TV licence payments and certain payments ordered by the courts, and non-priority debts such as personal loans, overdrafts, credit and store cards, payday loans, unsecured loans and money borrowed from family or friends¹⁵.

If your credit history is thin or damaged, the credit scores guide explains what appears on a report and how lenders read it. Credit unions are another route worth knowing about: they consider credit applications from people with poor credit ratings¹⁶.

Self-employed, contractor and key worker applicants

For self-employed applicants Kensington says it can work off the latest year's accounts, accept 1 year's trading history, and will consider an application even if you have recently started a limited company⁴. It accepts your share of the latest year's net profit and salary, and says self-employed customers pay the same interest rates as employed customers⁴.

Contractor income is calculated on your current weekly contract multiplied by 48 weeks⁴. For most self-employed applicants Kensington needs to see the latest SA302 form and tax year overview, obtainable from HMRC or your accountant, and business income and credits must support those documents⁴. If you are employed, it asks for the last 3 months' payslips and a P60; if you receive pensions or benefits, the latest annual statement or award letter¹².

Key workers are a defined group for Kensington: NHS clinicians including paramedics and nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers and members of the Armed Forces. For them it says it could lend up to 5 times income depending on circumstances, and it takes overtime into account¹. It says it places no restrictions on professions⁴.

Self-assessment paperwork is the usual sticking point. The tax guide covers how SA302 information is produced through the self-assessment return, and the how-to guide has step-by-step help with everyday money tasks.

Kensington mortgages are arranged only through brokers

You cannot apply to Kensington directly. It says you will not find it on the high street because its mortgages are specially arranged through approved mortgage brokers, and all new applications must be submitted through a mortgage adviser. It will not accept a new application on an execution only basis³.

Kensington's own advice service is Like Mortgage Advice, which it describes as its preferred mortgage adviser with a deep understanding of its products. That service can only advise on Kensington products and does not advise on products provided by any other lenders, and Kensington says it can offer advice without any obligation or cost to you, both before and during the application process³.

That limitation matters when you are choosing who to speak to. A broker who can only look at one lender's range will not tell you whether another lender would suit you better. Kensington also states that it does not have the relevant permissions to give advice, so its team will not advise you¹².

There is no upfront application fee⁶. Broker fees are a separate matter between you and your adviser, and the mortgages guide explains how advice and fees typically work across the market.

From Decision in Principle to completion

The process starts with a Decision in Principle. Kensington says that when your mortgage adviser applies for one, it carries out a soft credit check, and soft checks do not affect your credit score and cannot be seen by other companies or lenders⁷. The amount shown is an initial advisory figure based on the information provided and is not yet a commitment from Kensington to lend⁷.

The borrowing figure is calculated from your income and outgoings, your deposit amount, the results of an initial credit search, your monthly mortgage repayments and the property value⁷. Kensington says a Decision in Principle is usually valid for 60 days⁷. One of its own product pages gives a different validity period of 30 days, so the two documents disagree; check the date on your own decision¹¹.

When your adviser submits a full application, Kensington carries out a hard credit check, which leaves a hard footprint on your credit file that other companies and lenders can see⁷. It then instructs surveyors to book a valuation appointment⁷. Kensington says it aims to process applications and issue a formal offer within 25 working days, though complex applications may take longer, and that a formal mortgage offer including new build properties is usually valid for a maximum of 180 days⁷.

If an application is declined, Kensington says it talks to the mortgage adviser and, where it can, gives a full explanation of the reasons and says whether the applicant could apply again later⁷. During the application, brokers also ask about circumstances that may indicate a vulnerability, grouped as health, life event, capability and resilience vulnerabilities⁷.

Managing your mortgage: overpayments, rate switches and changes

An overpayment is any additional payment over your regular monthly contractual payment, and Kensington accepts regular or lump sum overpayments¹². You can make overpayments at any time, but some mortgages have overpayment limits set out in the original terms, so the offer pack is where to check yours⁸.

Two thresholds decide what happens next. If you took your original mortgage with Kensington from 31 March 2017, it automatically reduces your balance and recalculates your monthly payment once you have overpaid £5,000¹⁸. If your mortgage was taken on or before 30 March 2017, or was purchased from another lender, you must ask Kensington to adjust your monthly amount, and you need a total overpaid amount of at least £500 for it to do so¹⁸. Quote your mortgage account number as the reference on any overpayment¹⁸.

If your fixed rate period is coming to an end, you can consider switching to a new fixed rate deal. Kensington says customers whose current deal, fixed or tracker, is approaching the end of its term, or whose deal ended in the last few years, may be eligible to switch, and that it will consider any early repayment charges that may apply if you leave your current deal early¹⁹. If your deal ended in the last few years and you are up to date with payments, it asks you to call its team to check eligibility¹⁹.

You can also ask about adjusting the term of your mortgage, and adding or removing someone from the mortgage is handled as a transfer of equity¹⁸. That is not a formality: if the people responsible for paying the mortgage change, Kensington reassesses the remaining or revised borrowers in the same way as at application, looking at employment, other debts and credit history, and a solicitor must be instructed to change the names on the property title, at your cost²⁰. Transfer of equity is not available to buy to let customers²⁰.

Paying off a Kensington mortgage early

Paying off your mortgage early means requesting a redemption statement. If you have an online account you can request it through My Messages; otherwise contact the customer service team, and solicitors use the online request form, which needs the full names of the customers on the account, the mortgaged property address and the mortgage account number⁸.

Kensington aims to issue the statement within 5 to 10 working days, and it is valid for 30 calendar days from the issue date⁸. If you redeem between 1 and 30 days after that date, you add the account's daily interest rate to the redemption amount for each day⁸. If the final payment is made by cheque, add daily interest for 5 extra days to allow for clearing⁸. Cheques and bank transfers are both accepted for the final redemption payment⁸.

Costs may apply: early repayment charges and an administration fee called a mortgage exit fee⁸. The early repayment charge period is set out in your official mortgage offer pack, in the section titled "What happens if you do not want this mortgage anymore" or "Early Re-payment"⁸. Once the initial fixed or tracker period has ended, you can overpay without paying an early repayment charge¹⁸. If the borrower has died, any early repayment charge is waived⁸.

After Kensington receives the full settlement amount it arranges for its legal charge on the property to be released and writes to you or your solicitor to confirm the mortgage is redeemed⁸. The charge, called a Standard Security in Scotland, is registered with Land Registry for properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the Land Register of Scotland for properties in Scotland⁸. For properties in Scotland or Northern Ireland you need to appoint a solicitor to manage the final part of the redemption and discharge the security from the land records; for properties in Scotland, Kensington can appoint a solicitor to manage the discharge and its team will confirm the cost⁸. Kensington may also ask for evidence of source of funds under anti money laundering legislation, such as bank statements evidencing savings⁸.

Struggling with payments: support and the repossession process

Kensington says customers struggling to pay their mortgage should contact it as soon as possible, and that talking to it about your circumstances and the support options available will have no impact on your credit score¹⁸. It says it always considers repossession to be the last resort and will work with you to understand your circumstances and try to reach a mutually agreeable payment arrangement¹⁵.

Support options it may offer include a temporary suspension of payments, temporarily changing your repayment method to interest only, agreeing a bespoke payment plan, or another option that meets your needs¹⁵. It also supports customers worried about remortgaging under the Mortgage Charter¹². It cannot advise on credit commitments or debts you have with other organisations¹⁵. It referred over 1,400 customers to PayPlan in 2022¹⁵.

Most lenders do not start repossession action until you have missed at least 3 payments²¹. Before the process, your lender must contact you and try to work things out, and show the court what was offered²². You can negotiate a repayment plan at any stage in the repossession process²³. If you miss a payment, the firm must offer you support to help you pay it back, for example pausing interest and charges, before taking further action like going to court²⁴.

The process differs across the UK. In Scotland, lenders must send letters with information about the debt and how to get support, give you a chance to make repayments, and apply to the court for a repossession order²⁵. Kensington says that in Scotland the Sheriff usually grants a decree after a minimum of 14 days but could allow more time, and that there is no Suspended Possession Order equivalent in Scotland¹⁵. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, once a Possession Order is granted the judge sets a date to leave the property, usually in 28 days but the judge could allow up to 56 days¹⁵. In Northern Ireland a bailiff may attend more than once to ensure the order is served, an exact eviction date may not be given in advance, and the Enforcement of Judgments Office is the body to contact¹⁵.

Free help exists. Housing Rights offers debt advice and, where necessary, representation to prevent repossession and allow you to stay in your home²⁶. Legal aid can help with repossession because of mortgage arrears, among other housing problems²⁷. When faced with repossession, contact your solicitor or a free advice agency²⁸. The debt guide sets out the options and your rights, and the nations guide explains how rules differ across the UK.

Complaints and how your home is protected

Kensington publishes complaints data for home finance. In the six months from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026 it opened 1,082 complaints and closed 1,084, upheld 34.13% of them, and resolved 31.64% within three days and 67.99% within eight weeks after three days. The main cause of complaints was disputes over sums and charges²⁰.

If you are unhappy, complain to Kensington first. If you remain dissatisfied, the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about financial businesses, and Citizens Advice explains how to check whether a financial service has followed the rules²⁴. If your complaint concerns how your personal information has been used, the Information Commissioner's Office is the route: make a data protection complaint to the organisation first, and if still dissatisfied you can complain to the ICO or seek to enforce your rights through the courts²⁹.

On protection, the firm behind the brand is Kensington Mortgage Company Limited, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 310336, with permission to enter into a regulated mortgage contract as lender, and it also trades as New Street Mortgages, New Street, KMC, Kensington Mortgage Company and Acenden⁹. It is part of the Barclays group³. The company is active on the Companies House register under number 03049877, incorporated on 26 April 1995³⁰.

Be alert to anyone contacting you unexpectedly about your mortgage. UK Finance says it would never call or text anyone, especially not to request payments³⁴. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme says it contacts customers only by email, letter or phone call, plus web chat, does not use WhatsApp and does not send unsolicited social media messages³⁵. If you are worried about a message, contact Kensington on a number you have looked up yourself. The scams and fraud guide explains the common approaches, and the consumer protection guide covers what to do when a financial firm gets it wrong.