Yes, in most cases you can. Being inside a probationary period does not rule you out of a mortgage, and the large majority of lenders will consider you. What actually decides the outcome is usually not the probation at all. It is your continuous employment history, and that is a very different thing from how long you have been in your current job.
Key takeaway: Almost every mainstream lender will consider an applicant on probation. The question that separates them is how much continuous employment history they want to see beforehand, which ranges from none at all to 12 months. Continuous employment counts any work, not just your current role.
[[stats: MOST = High street and specialist lenders consider applicants on probation | 0 months = Continuous employment history some lenders require | 5% = Minimum deposit typically available to first-time buyers]]
Can you get a mortgage while on probation?
This is one of the most common worries we hear from first-time buyers, and the anxiety is usually much bigger than the problem. There is a widespread belief that you need to have passed probation, or been in a job for a year, before any lender will look at you. That is not how most lenders work.
Being on probation simply means your employer has a shorter notice period during an initial settling-in phase, typically three to six months. Lenders know this is completely normal, particularly for anyone early in their career. A minority of lenders do decline probationary applicants outright, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
What varies far more between lenders is a separate question: how long you have been working, anywhere, before this job started.
What is continuous employment, and why does it matter more?
Continuous employment means an unbroken record of working. Crucially, it is not the same as time served with your current employer.
Good to know: Continuous employment counts any employment or self-employment, not just the job you are in now. If you moved from one role straight into another with no gap, your history carries over. The clock does not reset every time you change employer.
This is the single most misunderstood point on this topic, and it is why so many people wrongly assume a new job puts them out of the running. Someone who has worked solidly for four years across three different employers, and started their newest job last month, has four years of continuous employment. They are on probation, but they are not short of history.
Example: Ellie finished university in June, started a graduate scheme in September on a six-month probation, and wants to buy in November. She has no previous career history, so lenders with a minimum continuous employment requirement will not work for her. Lenders with no minimum requirement can still consider her on her new salary. The probation is not the barrier. The lack of prior history is, and only for some lenders.
Which lenders consider applicants on probation?
Here is how a range of lenders treat probation and continuous employment. Notice that the answer in the middle column is the same every time. The real differences sit in the right-hand column.
[[table: Lender | Considers applicants on probation | Minimum continuous employment history ;; Accord | Yes | No minimum requirement ;; Halifax | Yes | No minimum requirement ;; Nationwide | Yes | No minimum requirement ;; TSB | Yes | No minimum requirement ;; Barclays | Yes | 3 months ;; Principality | Yes | 3 months ;; NatWest | Yes | 6 months ;; Metro Bank | Yes | 6 months ;; Skipton | Yes | 6 months ;; Coventry | Yes | 12 months]]
Lender criteria change regularly, so treat this as a guide to how differently lenders approach the same situation rather than a permanent list. Criteria correct as at August 2026.
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Which situation are you in?
The right lender depends less on the probation and more on what your working history looks like behind it. Tap whichever applies to you.
[[accordion: This is my first job after university|You have the least history, so you need one of the lenders with no minimum continuous employment requirement. Accord, Halifax, Nationwide and TSB are the most accommodating here, since none of them apply a minimum. A lender wanting 6 or 12 months of history simply will not work yet, which is why applying to the wrong one first can produce an unnecessary decline. Your salary, deposit and credit profile are then assessed as they would be for anybody else.;; I moved straight from one job to another with no gap|You are in a stronger position than you probably think. Your continuous employment history carries across from your previous role, so a switch with no break between the two does not reset the clock. Someone with three years of unbroken work who started a new job last week still has three years of history, and almost every lender in the table above becomes available.;; I had a gap between jobs|A break in employment can affect lenders that apply a minimum continuous history requirement, since the count may start again from your current start date. How much this matters depends on the length of the gap and the reason for it, and lenders take different views. Lenders with no minimum requirement are unaffected by a gap in the same way.;; I was self-employed and have now gone employed|Self-employment counts towards continuous employment in the same way employment does, so your trading history is not wasted. This route can actually be simpler than staying self-employed, since employed income is generally more straightforward for lenders to assess than two years of accounts.;; I have been promoted or changed role with the same employer|Some employers apply a fresh probationary period to an internal move even though your service is unbroken. Your continuous employment is not affected at all in this situation, and where a pay rise comes with the new role, some lenders can use the higher figure. It is worth telling your adviser about a role change even when the employer has stayed the same.]]
How much could you borrow?
Being on probation does not, by itself, reduce how much you can borrow. Once a lender accepts your employment situation, your application is assessed on the same basis as anyone else's, using your salary, your commitments and the lender's own income multiple.
Most lenders sit somewhere around 4.5 times income, with a smaller pool going up to 6 times in the right circumstances. First-time buyers in particular can sometimes reach higher multiples through specific lender schemes. Put your own figures in below to get an indication.
[[calc:borrowing]]
Our guide to how much you could borrow for a mortgage in 2026 explains how different income types are treated in far more detail, including how bonus, overtime and commission are handled if your new role includes them.
What if you cannot borrow enough yet?
If the numbers do not stretch far enough on your own, the simplest option is usually not the one people reach for first. Before considering anything structural, it is worth checking whether an enhanced income multiple scheme gets you there. Nationwide's Helping Hand, for example, offers eligible first-time buyers up to 6 times income on a 5 or 10-year fixed rate, which can close the gap without involving anybody else. Our guide to the Nationwide Helping Hand mortgage covers how it works.
If that is still not enough, a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage lets a parent or family member add their income to the application without going on the property deeds. It is a genuinely useful option for someone early in their career, though it is a bigger commitment for the person helping and should not be the first thing you consider.
What will a lender ask for?
The paperwork is much the same as any other application, with a little more attention on the employment side.
Expect to provide your most recent payslips, or your signed contract and offer letter if you have not been paid yet, plus bank statements and proof of your deposit. If you have been in the role only a short time, your P60 or payslips from your previous employer help evidence the continuous history behind it.
If you have not actually started the job yet, that is a slightly different scenario with its own rules, and our guide on getting a mortgage when you are about to start a new job covers it properly.
Where this fits into buying your first home
Probation tends to loom large in people's minds because it feels like something being judged. In practice it is one line on an application form, and for most lenders it is not the line that decides anything.
The parts worth spending your energy on are the ones you can influence: your deposit, your credit file, and keeping your spending tidy in the months before you apply. Our complete guide for first-time buyers walks through the whole process from saving a deposit to completion day, and is the best place to start if buying is still some way off.
Where a mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial genuinely helps here is in choosing the right lender first time. As the table above shows, the same applicant can be an easy yes at one lender and an automatic no at another, purely because of a continuous employment rule that has nothing to do with how good a borrower they are. Getting that wrong costs you a hard credit search and several weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a mortgage while on probation?
In most cases yes. The large majority of mainstream lenders will consider an applicant inside a probationary period, and a minority decline them outright. The more relevant question is usually how much continuous employment history the lender wants to see, which varies from none at all to 12 months depending on who you apply to.
How long do you need to be in a job before you can get a mortgage?
There is no single answer, because lenders set their own rules. Some have no minimum requirement at all and will consider you from your first day, while others want to see 3, 6 or 12 months of continuous employment history first. Importantly, that history does not have to be with your current employer.
What counts as continuous employment for a mortgage?
Continuous employment means an unbroken record of working, and it counts any employment or self-employment rather than only your current role. If you moved from one job straight into another without a break, your history carries across. This is why someone who has worked for several years but started a new job last month is usually in a much stronger position than they expect.
Can you get a mortgage if you have just left university and this is your first job?
You can, but your choice of lender narrows. Because you have no prior working history, you need a lender that applies no minimum continuous employment requirement. Accord, Halifax, Nationwide and TSB all fall into that group, so lenders like these are where a first job applicant is normally placed.
Do you have to tell a lender you are on probation?
Yes. Your employment status forms part of the application and the lender will usually verify it with your employer or through your payslips and contract. Not disclosing it risks the application failing later at underwriting, which wastes far more time than being upfront at the start.
Does being on probation affect how much you can borrow?
Not usually. Once a lender is happy to accept your employment situation, affordability is assessed on the same basis as for anyone else, using your salary, your existing commitments and that lender's income multiple. Probation affects which lenders will consider you, not how generous they are once they do.
What happens if you change jobs during a mortgage application?
Tell your adviser or lender straight away. A change of employment part way through can mean the application has to be reassessed, and in some cases moved to a different lender whose criteria fit the new situation. It is far better to raise it early than to have it surface at the offer stage.
Can you get a mortgage on probation if you are on a fixed-term contract?
It is possible, though the combination narrows the lender pool further, since fixed-term contracts are assessed under their own criteria on top of the probation question. How much time is left on the contract, and whether there is a history of renewals, both tend to matter. This is a situation where getting the lender choice right at the outset makes a real difference.
What happens if you fail your probation after the mortgage completes?
Your mortgage does not become invalid, and the lender does not reassess it because your circumstances change afterwards. Your obligation to keep up the repayments continues regardless, which is worth bearing in mind when deciding how much to borrow. Income protection is one way some people choose to cover that risk, and it is something we can talk through with you.
Written by Toby Quanstrom CeMAP, Director at Quanstrom Financial, a whole of market mortgage broker based in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
This article is general information only and does not constitute personal advice. Lender criteria change regularly and what is available to you depends on your own circumstances, so please speak to a qualified adviser before making a decision.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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