As of early 2026, more than 40% of all mortgage applications submitted through the platform are for loans exceeding four times the applicant’s annual salary.

Mojo says this milestone marks a significant shift in the UK’s lending landscape.

Three years ago, applications at this level represented a minority of the market but they are now becoming the standard for many buyers, particularly first-time buyers in urban hubs.

Mojo Mortgages customer data, who have applied for mortgages over 4x their annual salary, highlights a steep upward trajectory in high-multiple applications over the last three years.

A sum that Mojo Mortgages highlights is only looking to further as we head further into 2026.

While the trend is national, some cities are seeing a much higher concentration of ‘income stretching’.

Bristol currently leads the UK, with over half (52%) of all applicants from Bristol submitting mortgage applications for more than 4x their salary. This is followed by London where 49% of applicants are stretching themselves, Coventry (46%), Leicester (45%) and Manchester and Nottingham (33.3%).

Mojo Mortgages head of mortgages John Fraser-Tucker says: “The fact that over half of applicants in Bristol are now looking for 4x their salary or more isn’t just a statistical quirk; it’s a reflection of a market where wages simply haven’t kept pace with house price growth.”

“Even with recent cooling in some areas, the cumulative growth of property values over the last three to five years has been so considerable that the ‘traditional’ 3x or 4x multiple is, in many cases, no longer enough to get a foot in the door in some of these top-tier cities.”