Which UK Lenders Lend on High-Rise Flats?
72 UK lenders will consider flats in high-rise blocks, though "high-rise" means different things to different lenders — the cut-off ranges from anything above 4 storeys to 10 or more. Ex-council blocks and buildings needing an EWS1 form face extra checks on top.
Data refreshed 2026-07-06. Information only — not advice.
Your situation
High Street Lenders
- Bank of Ireland— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Barclays— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Clydesdale Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- Halifax— Up to 95% LTV
- HSBC— Up to 95% LTV
- Metro Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- Nationwide— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- NatWest— Up to 95% LTV
- The Co-operative Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- TSB— Up to 95% LTV
- Virgin Money— Up to 95% LTV
Building Societies
- Bath Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Beverley Building Society— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Buckinghamshire Building Society— Up to 90% LTV
- Cambridge Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Chorley Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Coventry Building Society— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Cumberland Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Darlington Building Society— See lender criteria
- Dudley Building Society— Up to 90% LTV
- Earl Shilton Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Ecology Building Society— See lender criteria
- Family Building Society— Up to 80% LTV
- Furness Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Godiva Mortgages— Up to 95% LTV
- Hanley Economic Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Harpenden BS— Up to 80% LTV, case-by-case
- Hinckley & Rugby Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Leeds Building Society— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Leek Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Loughborough Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Mansfield Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Market Harborough Building Society— Up to 80% LTV
- Marsden Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Monmouthshire Building Society— Up to 95% LTV, case-by-case
- Newcastle Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Nottingham Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Penrith Building Society— Up to 90% LTV
- Principality Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Progressive Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Saffron Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Scottish Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Skipton Building Society— Up to 100% LTV
- Stafford Railway Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Suffolk Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Teachers Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Tipton & Coseley Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Vernon Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- West Bromwich Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
Specialist Lenders
- Aldermore— Up to 95% LTV
- BM Solutions— Up to 80% LTV
- CHL Mortgages— Up to 75% LTV
- Fleet Mortgages— Up to 75% LTV
- Foundation Home Loans— Up to 90% LTV
- Hodge Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- InterBay— Up to 85% LTV
- Kensington Mortgages— Up to 95% LTV
- Keystone Property Finance— Up to 80% LTV
- Legal & General Home Finance— Up to 60% LTV
- Lendco— Up to 75% LTV
- LendInvest— Up to 90% LTV, case-by-case
- Moda Mortgages— See lender criteria
- Norton Home Loans— Up to 80% LTV
- Perenna— Up to 95% LTV
- Precise Mortgages— Up to 95% LTV
- Skipton International— Up to 75% LTV
- The Mortgage Lender— Up to 95% LTV
- The Mortgage Works— Up to 80% LTV, case-by-case
- Together— See lender criteria
- Vida Homeloans— Up to 97% LTV
- West One Loans— Up to 97.5% LTV, case-by-case
- Zephyr Homeloans— Up to 80% LTV
Why some lenders say no
- Storey limits vary widely: some lenders draw the line above 4 or 5 storeys without a lift, others are comfortable to 10+, and a few have no stated limit and rely entirely on the valuer.
- Ex-council high-rise is the toughest combination — several lenders that accept private high-rise blocks decline ex-local-authority ones, or require a minimum share of private ownership in the block.
- Buildings over 11m (and especially over 18m) may need cladding evidence such as an EWS1 form before the valuer will assign a value at all.
- Deck-access blocks (external walkways) are excluded by a number of lenders regardless of height.
Related reading: Property types lenders accept · Down valuations explained
See what each of these lenders would actually offer you
No credit search, results in 2 minutes. Free for 9 lenders, £4.99 for the full 60+.
Run My Affordability CheckFrequently asked questions
How many storeys counts as high-rise?
There's no single definition. Planning rules often use 18m (roughly 6 storeys), but lenders set their own limits: some tighten criteria above 4 or 5 storeys, many above 7, and a few only care what the valuer says. Always check the specific block height against the specific lender's policy.
Can I get a mortgage on an ex-council flat above 5 storeys?
Yes, but the lender pool shrinks. You need a lender that accepts both ex-local-authority flats and blocks of that height — some also want a lift, and some require a minimum percentage of flats in the block to be privately owned. A number of building societies assess these case-by-case on the valuer's comments.
Do I need an EWS1 form?
Only if the building's height and cladding trigger one — generally buildings over 18m, and some 11-18m buildings with certain cladding types. If an EWS1 exists, a rating of A1, A2 or B1 is usually fine; B2 makes most mainstream lenders decline until remediation is evidenced.
Does the block need a lift?
For taller blocks, usually yes — a common rule is that flats above the 4th or 5th floor need lift access to be acceptable security. Walk-up blocks above that height are declined by many lenders even when the flat itself is on a lower floor.
