Nottingham Building Society builds on recent criteria changes with further enhancements to support modern borrowers

Nottingham Building Society has kick-started 2026 by announcing a further set of criteria enhancements designed to widen access to homeownership and remove unnecessary barriers for borrowers with evolving financial circumstances. 

Nottingham Building 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, bringing greater clarity and consistency to the assessment process. 

The latest changes also include an increase in the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) for new build flats from 80% to 85%, helping first-time buyers and movers access newly built homes with smaller deposits at a time when affordability remains under pressure. 

In addition, the specialist 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 real financial plans rather than rigid age-based assumptions. 

Taken together, the changes reinforce the Society’s ongoing focus on making mortgage lending more practical, accessible and reflective of how people earn, work and plan today. 

The updates follow a series of criteria and product enhancements announced by Nottingham Building Society in December, including expanded support for complex income profiles and new buy-to-let solutions introduced in response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. As the Society enters the new year, the latest changes underline its commitment to building momentum and continuing to evolve its lending proposition in line with borrower's needs. 

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.”