Darlington Building Society has updated its buy-to-let and residential lending criteria, removing a range of income verification requirements following feedback from brokers who flagged unnecessary complexity in the application process.
The changes take effect immediately. For buy-to-let cases where the required Interest Cover Ratio (ICR) is met, income evidence will no longer be required as standard, removing a step that brokers had identified as adding admin without materially improving the assessment.
The update extends across Darlington's full buy-to-let proposition, including expat buy-to-let cases involving self-employed applicants, where accounts previously needed verification.
On the residential side, employed applicants will now only need to submit their latest payslip rather than two months' worth. Underwriters retain discretion to request additional documentation where cases involve top-slicing or more complex circumstances.
Chris Blewitt, head of mortgage distribution at Darlington Building Society (pictured), said the changes reflect a straightforward response to consistent broker input. "One of the most useful things brokers can tell us is where a process feels more complicated than it needs to be," he said.
"When we receive consistent feedback, we take it seriously. These changes are a direct result of conversations we've had with brokers who felt there was an opportunity to remove some unnecessary friction from the application process.
"For many buy-to-let cases, particularly where the rental income already supports the lending through our Interest Cover Ratio requirements, requesting additional income evidence was creating work without necessarily adding value to the assessment.
"By removing that requirement, we're helping brokers submit cases more quickly, reducing packaging requirements for clients and allowing our underwriters to focus their attention where it matters most.
"At a time when brokers are looking for lenders that are easy to deal with, sometimes the most valuable improvements are the practical changes that make placing business simpler. This is very much a case of brokers telling us what would help, and us acting on that feedback."
Alongside the packaging changes, Darlington has cut rates by 10 basis points across its specialist residential Visa and Foreign National mortgage products. The two-year and five-year fixed-rate options at 90% LTV are now available at 5.89%, with a £999 fee that can be added to the loan.
