How Many Applicants Can You Have on a Buy-to-Let or Bridging Loan in the UK?

How Many Applicants Can You Have on a Buy-to-Let or Bridging Loan?

When taking out a Buy-to-Let loan or a Bridging loan in the UK, you might wonder how many people or entities can apply together on one loan. This is an important consideration for individual investors pooling resources, property developers working jointly, or brokers advising clients. Below, we break down the typical limits on the number of applicants for each loan type, covering both personal (individual) applications and limited company applications. We focus on standard scenarios – individuals or single companies applying – and not on complex joint ventures or special family trust arrangements.

Buy-to-Let Loans: Number of Applicants Allowed

Personal Applications (Individuals): Buy-to-let mortgages in the UK generally allow up to four individuals to apply jointly on a single loan. In other words, you can have between one and four co-applicants on the same buy-to-let mortgage. This industry-standard limit of four is not arbitrary – it largely stems from legal and practical considerations. Notably, UK property deeds can only register four names as owners of a property. Lenders mirror this limit, since all borrowers are typically required to be legal owners of the property. In practice, many buy-to-let mortgages are taken out by one or two people, but the system does accommodate larger groups up to four. Do keep in mind that while four people can be on the mortgage and property title in a standard application, some lenders may only consider the incomes of the top two earners for affordability checks (this is a common policy to manage risk, even if all four are jointly liable). However, as a general rule, four is the maximum number of applicants you’ll see on a single buy-to-let mortgage. If you have more than four investors wishing to buy a property together, typically they would need to explore alternative structures (for example, forming a company or a trust) rather than all being co-mortgagees, since you can’t simply add a fifth name to a standard mortgage or property deed.

Limited Company Applications: In a limited company buy-to-let scenario, the “applicant” is technically a single legal entity – the company itself. It’s usually one company per loan as the borrower. However, lenders will look at the people behind that company. Most buy-to-let lenders require personal guarantees from the company’s directors and often any shareholders with a significant stake (commonly over 20-25%). In effect, multiple individuals are involved even though the company is the named borrower. There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule on the number of directors/shareholders a company can have and still get a mortgage, but many lenders set a practical limit around four key individuals for a limited company application. In fact, one industry guide notes that as a rule of thumb “most lenders accept a maximum of four directors and shareholders in a company structure” for buy-to-let mortgages. This means if your property holding company has, say, two directors, that’s straightforward; if it has four, that’s typically the upper end of normal; and if it has more than four, some lenders might not lend (others might ask that certain people come off the application or only consider the main four). The reasoning is again practicality – underwriting a loan with too many different guarantors or decision-makers can be cumbersome. Each director or major shareholder will usually need to be underwritten (credit checked, etc.) and agree to guarantee the loan. So, for limited company buy-to-let loans, think of it as one company applying, supported by the personal guarantees of its principal owners (usually up to four individuals can be accommodated in that supporting role). Beyond four principals, the pool of willing lenders may shrink or the application might become more complex, which is outside the scope of a standard buy-to-let loan arrangement.

(Note: In all cases above, we’re discussing standard buy-to-let applications. We are not covering special setups like a crowd of investors each owning a small share, nor unofficial arrangements – just the formal borrower(s) on the loan. Also, buy-to-let lending in the UK can be personal (borrowing in your own name) or via a special purpose limited company; the number-of-applicant limits apply accordingly as described.)

Bridging Loans: Number of Applicants Allowed

Personal Applications (Individuals): Bridging loans, like mortgages, often allow multiple people to jointly take out the loan. It’s common for up to four individual co-borrowers to be accepted on one bridging loan as a standard limit. So, if a few partners or investors want to jointly secure a short-term loan to purchase or refurbish a property, they can usually all be party to the same loan agreement, up to four names. This is similar to the mortgage scenario and is often subject to the same practical limit of four individuals because any more would complicate the legal charge on the property (and again, typically only four names can be on the title for land registry purposes). It’s worth noting that bridging finance is a bit more niche and flexible than mainstream mortgages – some lenders might have their own preferences (for example, some may prefer no more than two individuals on a regulated bridging loan, which we’ll explain next). But by and large, four is the typical maximum number of people on one bridging loan in standard cases.

Regulated vs. Unregulated Bridging: A quick clarifier – a “regulated” bridging loan is one secured against a property you or your immediate family will live in (like bridging a gap when moving homes), whereas “unregulated” bridging is for business or investment purposes (e.g. developing a property, auction purchase). The distinction matters because regulated loans fall under stricter residential mortgage regulations. In regulated bridging, some lenders impose a lower limit on joint applicants – often no more than two individuals if it’s an owner-occupier scenario, since it’s treated similarly to a residential mortgage. This means if you and your spouse are using a bridge loan to buy a new home before selling your old one, typically just the two of you can be on the loan. However, for most bridging loans used by investors (unregulated bridging), having three or four joint borrowers is usually fine. Always check the specific lender’s policy, but remember that the four-person cap is a common industry norm unless a particular product is designed otherwise.

Limited Company Applications: Just as with buy-to-let, a limited company can be the borrower on a bridging loan. In that case, the loan is made to one company (one applicant entity), rather than to several companies or a mix of company and individuals. The standard practice is that all directors and any major shareholders of that company will be required to sign personal guarantees for the bridging loan. So while technically the loan has only one “applicant” (the company), multiple people are involved contractually to guarantee repayment. Bridging lenders typically don’t set a strict number of how many directors a company can have (they’ve lent to companies of varying sizes), but they will want to underwrite all the key people. In many cases, if a company has too many directors or owners, the transaction starts to resemble a consortium or fund, which might not fit a simple bridging loan – those scenarios might be handled with bespoke agreements rather than a standard application form. For a normal property holding company or an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) set up for property, which often has one to four directors/shareholders, getting a bridging loan through that company is straightforward. Each of those individuals will normally give a personal guarantee (meaning they are personally responsible if the company cannot repay). If your company has, say, three directors, all three would typically be expected to guarantee the loan. If it has a parent company or multiple corporate shareholders, that edges into non-standard territory and would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by lenders (usually beyond the scope of a quick bridging deal without additional legal structuring). The key point is: for a limited company bridging loan, it’s one borrower (the company) with all key persons behind that company signing on. There isn’t a need or ability to have multiple companies jointly named as borrowers in a standard bridging contract – if multiple parties want to team up, they’d usually either form one joint company or use a different financing structure rather than all be co-borrowers separately.

Summary: Applicants per Loan at a Glance*

• Buy-to-Let (Personal Borrowers): Typically 1 to 4 individuals can jointly take out one buy-to-let mortgage. Four is usually the maximum number of co-applicants allowed, mainly because only four names can be registered on the property title in the UK. Many lenders are fine with two to four on the loan, though some conservative lenders stick to a maximum of two (especially if the borrowers are unrelated). But industry-wide, you have the option of up to four people on one mortgage in standard cases.

• Buy-to-Let (Limited Company): The loan is made to a single limited company (so effectively one “applicant”), but all directors and significant shareholders will typically need to be involved as personal guarantors. Most lenders are comfortable with up to about four individuals behind a company. If a company has more than four main people, it may require a specialist lender or different approach. In a normal scenario, an SPV company with a handful of directors can get a buy-to-let loan with each of those people signing guarantees.

• Bridging Loan (Personal Borrowers): Typically up to 4 individuals can be co-borrowers on one bridging loan, similar to mortgages. This is common for unregulated bridging (investment purposes). If the bridging loan is regulated (for a home purchase), lenders often cap the application to 2 people, keeping it in line with residential lending norms. Always check the loan type – but for investment bridging, three or four joint applicants are usually acceptable in principle.

• Bridging Loan (Limited Company): The borrowing entity is one company (one applicant on paper). All key persons (directors/shareholders) will give personal guarantees to support the loan. There isn’t a numerical “applicant limit” here as with individuals, since the company is the single borrower. However, practically, a simple company structure (with a manageable number of directors) is expected in standard cases. Multiple companies or very complex ownership structures would move you out of “standard application” territory.

* At Mercantile Trust, we allow up to four applicants per loan for both bridging and buy-to-let finance, available to individuals and limited companies alike.

Bottom Line – Both buy-to-let and bridging finance offer flexibility in how many people can apply together, but they operate within a framework that generally tops out at four individuals on any one loan. Whether those individuals are applying in their own names or via a company, the process is designed to handle typical scenarios like a couple, a trio of investors, or two couples working together. If you stay within these common structures (up to four applicants or one company), you’ll be within the normal lending criteria. If you have a scenario with more parties involved, it likely requires a tailored approach – something a broker or specialist lender could advise on separately. For the vast majority of individual landlords, small partnerships, and property companies, the limits discussed above won’t be a hindrance. Just remember: every named applicant or guarantor will be jointly responsible for the loan, so all parties should fully understand their obligations before entering into the agreement.

Lastly, it’s always a good idea to consult with our expert team if you have an unusual situation or plan to have multiple applicants. By knowing these general limits, you can plan your property financing with the right expectations and structure in place.