Paradigm Mortgage Services has launched a new ebook for advisers on lending to self-employed borrowers.

This has been compiled with help from both Pepper Money and Precise Mortgages and is also available to the wider intermediary market, not just existing members.

It covers a range of topics including: different types of self-employment, current demographics of the self-employed marketplace, and how to read and understand a client’s accounting figures. 

Paradigm says it want to help advisers work more effectively with their self-employed clients and ensure they are using accounts and financial data effectively to present the best case to lenders.

This comes on the back of significantly increased demand for Paradigm’s mortgage helpdesk service, where self-employed cases account for a growing percentage of the enquiries made to the team. 

Paradigm Mortgage Services mortgage technical director Christine Newell says: “According to the ONS, there were five million self-employed people in the UK at the end of last year. 

“Given what has happened during 2020 and the pandemic’s impact on the jobs market, our expectation must be that the number of self-employed people will continue to rise and advisers are likely to see more and more self-employed mortgage clients.”

She says she hopes this ebook will be a valuable resource for intermediaries at a time when finding the right lending solutions for self-employed customer has become increasingly difficult due to lenders regularly changing criteria, LTV levels and affordability assessment for this particular demographic.