Got a Job Offer Mid-Mortgage Application?
Timing is everything. The right call depends on where you are in the mortgage process, how different the new role is from the old, and when completion is due. Here's the rough map.
Where You Are in the Process Matters
Before DIP — Tell Them Upfront
If you're about to apply for a DIP, declare the new job from the start. Lenders either accept applicants with a signed new contract (around 30 of 60+ do) or don't. Applying on your old job and then changing later wastes a search.
DIP Received, Offer Not Yet Issued — Disclose Now
Call your broker or lender and tell them. They'll re-underwrite before the full offer is issued. Cleanest outcome: new offer reflects new income. Worst case: lender asks to pause until you're X months into new role.
Mortgage Offer Issued, Pre-Exchange — Disclose, Expect Delay
Mortgage offers come with an express condition that you notify the lender of material changes. A mid-offer job change almost always triggers a re-underwrite. Expect 1–3 weeks delay; usually the offer is re-issued.
Exchanged, Pre-Completion — Defer the Start Date if Possible
Lenders carry out final employment verification 1–3 days before completion. Failing this check at that stage can collapse the completion, leaving you in breach of contract on the purchase. If possible, defer the new job start date to after completion. Otherwise disclose immediately and accept the risk of a delayed completion.
Which Job Changes Are Low-Risk
- Same industry, same role, higher salary, signed permanent contract
- Internal promotion within the same employer (no probation restart)
- Move from fixed-term contract to permanent
- Return to a previous employer you left less than 2 years ago
Higher-Risk Changes
- Move from employed to self-employed (usually loses the offer — most lenders need 1–2 years' trading accounts)
- Move from salaried to commission-heavy or fully variable pay
- New role in a different industry with no prior experience
- Gap between ending the old role and starting the new role (lenders don't like employment gaps)
- Fixed-term or probation-only offer where current employer contract is permanent
Telling the Lender — What to Send
- Signed contract from the new employer (not an offer letter)
- Start date
- Probation length and notice periods
- Salary and any bonus/commission structure — declared the same way you'd declare for a new application
- Reason for the change in a short paragraph (career progression, family move, etc.)
If the Offer Is Withdrawn
- 1Ask the lender in writing why. The reasons give you direction on which alternative lender to approach.
- 2Don't apply blind to a second lender. Run an affordability check that factors in the new job — several lenders who were off-list before may now work.
- 3If you've exchanged and the mortgage has just been withdrawn, contact your conveyancer immediately. A short extension of completion can sometimes be negotiated.
- 4In worst cases: a specialist lender (Kensington, Precise) can turn around an application in 3–4 weeks on a new-employment basis. Expect a 0.5–1% rate premium.
Recheck Your Affordability With the New Income
See which lenders still work — and whether you might actually be better off. No credit search, results in 2 minutes.
Run My Affordability CheckFrequently Asked Questions
Do I have to tell the lender I've changed jobs?
Yes. Your mortgage offer is based on a declaration of material facts — employment is the biggest of these. Not telling the lender and then failing employment verification at completion is mortgage fraud. Even if the new job is better paid, you must disclose it.
What if the new job pays more?
Usually fine, but lenders re-underwrite on the new role — which might mean probation, no bonus track record, or a different income structure (commission instead of salary). A higher salary doesn't automatically mean a higher offer. Some lenders will press pause until you've been in the new role for 3 months.
Can I accept the job offer and delay the start date?
Yes, and this is often the cleanest path. If completion is 6 weeks away and the new role can start after completion, accept the offer conditionally and complete the mortgage on your current income. Your solicitor can confirm the dates align.
Will I lose my mortgage offer if I change jobs?
Not automatically. Most lenders will re-check affordability on the new income and re-issue the offer if the numbers still work. The offer can be withdrawn if: probation conditions fail lender criteria, new income is lower, or the new role has an income structure the lender doesn't accept (fully commission-based, zero-hours, short contract).
How does this differ from probation?
Probation is a lender criterion about whether they'll lend in the first place. Mid-application job change is a disclosure issue about maintaining an existing offer. A mid-flight change usually triggers a full re-underwrite against the lender's probation rules.
