Junior Doctor Mortgages: Rotations, Contracts and What You Can Borrow

Junior doctors (now called resident doctors in England) are some of the most secure earners a lender will see, yet the way the job is structured can make an application look riskier than it is. Rotations mean new employers and fixed-term contracts every few months, pay changes with each placement, and a large part of take-home pay can come from unsocial hours.

The good news is that a junior doctor mortgage is very achievable: many lenders understand medical training, and some go further with professional mortgages for doctors. This guide explains what lenders look at and how to put yourself in the strongest position. Lender details were checked in November 2026 and criteria change regularly.

Can junior doctors get a mortgage?

Yes. The key is choosing a lender whose rules fit training, rather than one that applies its standard employment checks without looking at the bigger picture. A lender that asks for 12 months with your current employer, for example, can be a problem when you change trust every rotation. Other lenders accept that rotating through placements on fixed-term contracts is normal for a doctor in training.

Rotations and fixed-term contracts

Lenders typically want to see:

• Your current contract, and ideally confirmation of your next rotation or your training programme

• That the contract has a reasonable time left to run, or a track record of renewals

• Evidence you are in a recognised training programme, such as foundation training or a specialty training number

Some lenders will lend shortly before a new rotation starts if you have the contract or offer letter. Hodge, for example, accepts an offer letter confirming the start date and salary from newly qualified medics, with no minimum time since qualifying.

Which income counts?

Your basic salary is the easy part. How lenders treat the rest varies:

• Unsocial hours and on-call supplements are often accepted when they are part of your contracted work schedule.

• Bank shifts and extra rostered work may be counted in part or in full if you can show them over a period, often from payslips or a P60. See our guide to NHS bank shifts and overtime.

• Locum work outside your training post is usually treated as second-job or self-employed income.

• Future earnings are not something most lenders will use, so do not plan on borrowing against the salary you expect as a registrar or consultant. A professional mortgage is usually the better way to borrow more.

Professional mortgages for doctors in training

Some professional mortgage ranges are open to doctors who have recently qualified, and offer higher income multiples than standard lending:

• Metro Bank offers up to 6 times income to medical doctors who are fully qualified, registered and practising, and who qualified within the last ten years.

• Hodge offers up to 6 times income to medical doctors, up to 90% loan-to-value on repayment, and accepts newly qualified medics with an offer letter.

Whether a doctor in foundation training counts as "fully qualified" depends on the lender's definition and your registration, so this is something we check case by case. More detail is in our guide to mortgages for doctors.

Deposits and first homes

Many resident doctors buy with a 5% or 10% deposit, often with help from family. If part of your deposit is a gift, the lender will want a gifted deposit letter. If your training is likely to move you to another region, it is worth considering whether the property could be let later, and choosing a mortgage that would allow it. Our first-time buyer guide walks through the whole process.

Your student loan matters too: lenders deduct the repayments from your monthly income when they assess affordability, so it reduces what you can borrow even though it is not a debt in the usual sense.

Around your rota

Doctors and dentists make up a large part of our client base, so rotations and rotas are familiar ground. Because rotas rarely fit office hours, we can arrange evening and early-morning appointments, in person or by video.

Our mortgage advice is fee-free and we are whole of market. Book a free consultation and we will tell you which lenders fit your contract and how much you could borrow.

Sources: Metro Bank professional mortgage range; Hodge Professional Mortgage (lender criteria pages, checked November 2026).

Lender criteria quoted were checked in November 2026 and can change at any time. All lending is subject to the lender's affordability assessment, credit checks and property valuation.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.