Mortgage Declined Because of a Non-Standard Property? Don’t Panic — You Still Have Options
You’ve found the perfect home, applied for a mortgage, and then… the dreaded call: “Sorry, your property isn’t suitable for a mortgage.”
If that’s happened to you, you’re not alone — and it doesn’t mean the end of the road. It usually just means your property is what lenders call “non-standard construction.”
Here’s what that really means, and how you can still raise the funds with the help of a specialist lender.
What Does “Non-Standard Construction” Mean?
Most UK homes are built with brick or stone walls and a tiled roof — that’s “standard construction.”
Anything else is classed as non-standard, such as:
Concrete or steel-framed houses
Timber or prefab homes
Flat-roof properties
Thatched cottages
Eco-homes
Semi-commercial properties
Or anything a little out of the ordinary…
These homes can be perfectly solid and great to live in, and often offer great value for money — but many high street lenders see them as risky because they can be harder to sell or insure.
Why the Bank Said No
When a surveyor flags a property as non-standard, most mainstream lenders just stop there. It’s often a computer-says-no situation, not a reflection on you.
But here’s the thing, being declined by a high street bank doesn’t mean you can’t get a mortgage. It just means you need the right type of lender.
How Specialist Lenders Can Help
Specialist lenders take a much more flexible view. They look at the whole picture — your income, the property’s condition, how much equity you have (LTV), and the local market — instead of just an automated decline.
At Celtic Finance, we work directly with specialist lenders to find solutions for:
Concrete or steel-frame homes
Timber-frame or prefab properties
Ex-local authority housing including flats
Unique conversions and self-builds
Sometimes the answer is a specialist mortgage, other times it’s a secured loan or bridging finance to get you moving quickly. The point is — there are always options
Why You Shouldn’t Give Up
We’ve seen it time and again: a client gets turned down by their bank, comes to us, and within a few days we’ve found a lender who says yes.
Our job is to know which lenders are comfortable with which property types — and how to present your case in the best possible light.
Let’s Get Your Mortgage Back on Track
If you’ve been declined because your property is “non-standard,” don’t stress. We help people in your exact situation every week.
💬 Let’s have a quick chat about your options.
We’ll explain what’s possible and match you with the right lender — often much faster than you’d expect.
There’s no fee to speak to us and to explore your options, so why not give us a call to see what might be possible.
Any fees applicable to your application will be disclosed after our initial conversation, so there’s no unexpected costs or surprises!
We typically only charge a fee on completion too, and this can be added to the loan - meaning, if we can’t secure you your mortgage, you don’t pay any fees to us.
👉 Contact Celtic Finance today to get started
Email: info@celticfinance.co.uk
Office: 0800 1244 566
Mobile/WhatsApp: 07537 141 209
