High street lenders tend not to offer mortgages to the self-employed, contractors and freelancers without considerable paperwork and delay, so finding the right mortgage lender for your circumstances can be daunting.

There are around 4.8 million self-employed people in the UK, many of whom mistakenly think their irregular income or lack of three years’ worth of accounts means they automatically don’t meet the requirements for a mortgage. But this is not the case. If you’ve been put off from applying, it might be time to reconsider.