Struggling to get a buy to let mortgage on deck access properties? Find out why lenders hesitate, how valuers assess these flats, and how Lime Finance Solutions can help you find the right deal
There’s a particular type of phone call I get fairly regularly. A landlord has found a flat – good location, solid rental demand, decent yield on paper. They’ve put in an offer. Then the mortgage application comes back declined. Not because of anything to do with the landlord’s finances, income, or credit history. It’s the property itself. The lender won’t touch it.
The reason, nine times out of ten: deck access.
If you’re not familiar with the term, deck access properties are flats where the front door is reached via an open external walkway or corridor – a communal balcony, essentially, shared across a whole floor of a block. You’ll find them most commonly in ex-council estates built between the 1950s and 1970s, though some private developments have used a similar layout. The design was practical at the time.
From a lender’s perspective in 2026, it can be a very different story.
When a lender hands over money secured against a property, they need to be confident they can get that money back. Makes sense. It’s not just if the rental income flows nicely and everyone behaves – but in the worst case.
If the borrower defaults and the lender has to repossess, they need to be able to sell that property.
That’s where deck access properties create a problem.
Lenders are acutely aware that these flats can be harder to sell than a standard flat with a private entrance lobby. The open walkway design has historically been associated with anti-social behaviour and security concerns – it’s not always fair, and many deck access blocks are perfectly well-managed, but the perception persists and the data on resaleability reflects it. Although, there is research to show that may be changing.
If a lender ends up with a repossessed flat that only a fraction of buyers would consider, their security is compromised. And for buy to let mortgages – where the lender is already more cautious than on a residential deal – that calculus becomes even more conservative.
It’s worth knowing that according to Criteria Brain, a professional criteria research tool used by mortgage advisers across the UK, over 86 lenders have a recorded position on deck access properties. Not all of them say no – but plenty do, and the ones that say yes often attach conditions.
The valuer is often the person who actually decides the outcome, even before an underwriter gets involved.
A mortgage provider will instruct a surveyor to value the property as part of the application. The valuer isn’t just there to confirm the price – they’re there to assess whether the property is suitable security for the loan. And with deck access flats, that’s where things can come unstuck.
A good valuer following RICS Red Book standards will look at a range of factors: the quality of the development, the condition and management of the communal areas, evidence of demand and recent comparable sales, and whether the property would sell without significant restriction on price.
In a well-maintained block in a strong rental market – parts of London, for example, where ex-council stock is genuinely sought after – a valuer may well be comfortable. In a less liquid market, or a poorly managed block, they may flag concerns that either reduce the valuation or effectively kill the deal.
Think of the valuer as the umpire on a cricket pitch – their call stands, and it doesn’t always go the way you’d hoped. Forget TMO or VAR, the original decision pretty much always stands.
The critical phrase that appears in many lenders’ criteria is “no restriction on mortgageability or saleability.” The valuer’s job is to confirm that. If they can’t, the lender won’t proceed, regardless of how good the rest of the application looks.
On a standard residential mortgage, lenders are already cautious about non-standard properties. On a buy to let mortgage, that caution is amplified.
Buy to let lending is assessed differently. The lender is looking at rental income relative to mortgage payments – typically the rent needs to cover 125% to 145% of the mortgage at a stressed interest rate – and they’re making a judgement about the property’s long-term performance as an investment asset. Forget renters rights or other legalities, a flat that’s hard to sell in a forced-sale scenario, and potentially hard to sell at all when the landlord eventually wants to exit, introduces a layer of risk that many lenders would rather avoid.
The result is that even landlords with strong portfolios, clean credit histories, and solid rental income can find themselves turned away – not because of anything they’ve done, but because of the front door arrangement of the property they want to buy.
I’ve seen this frustrate experienced investors who know the local market inside out. They know the block is well-run. They know there’s rental demand. They know the yield stacks up. But the lending system doesn’t always reward local knowledge.
This is where working with the right broker makes a genuine difference.
Not all lenders treat deck access properties the same way. Some specialist buy to let lenders will consider these properties provided the valuer confirms resaleability and the broader application is strong. Some high street lenders will look at them case by case. The key is knowing which doors to knock on – and how to present the case when you do.
This isn’t something you can derive from reading lender criteria or advertising.
At Lime Finance Solutions, this is the kind of deal I find genuinely interesting. It requires proper market knowledge, not just a quick search through a comparison tool. It means understanding the lender’s underlying concern – which is fundamentally about security and exit risk – and addressing it directly in how the application is presented.
A well-managed block in a strong location with demonstrable rental demand and comparable sales evidence is a very different proposition to a neglected block in a thin market, and the right lender will understand that distinction. So let’s focus there.
It also means getting ahead of the valuation. Where possible, I’ll want to understand the property before a valuation is instructed – because sending an application to the wrong lender only to have a valuer flag concerns is a waste of everyone’s time and can leave a trail on the borrower’s record.
Thirty years of doing this tells me that the properties people struggle to finance are often the ones where a bit of expertise makes the real difference. Anyone can place a straightforward buy to let on a purpose-built flat with a lift and an intercom. The deck access properties cases are the ones where it pays to know what you’re doing.
If you’re looking at a buy to let on deck access properties – or you’ve already had an application declined and you’re wondering what to do next – I’m always happy to have that conversation.
David Farmer
Lime Finance Solutions
A deck access property is a flat where the front door is reached via an open external walkway or communal balcony, shared with other flats on the same floor. They’re most common in ex-local authority blocks built from the 1950s to 1970s, though some private developments use a similar design.
Lenders are primarily concerned about resaleability. If a borrower defaults and the lender needs to repossess and sell the property, they want to be confident there’s a reasonable pool of buyers. Deck access flats are perceived as harder to sell than properties with private access, which makes them riskier security for a loan. There are also historical associations with anti-social behaviour and security issues that colour lenders’ views.
Yes – but not with every lender. Some lenders decline deck access properties outright. Others will consider them on a case-by-case basis, subject to a satisfactory valuation confirming that the property can be sold without restriction. Working with a specialist broker who knows which lenders to approach is essential.
In pretty much every buy to let mortgage case the valuer’s role is pivotal, here it is 100% crucial. They’re instructed by the lender to confirm not just the value of the property, but whether it’s suitable security for the mortgage.
Is that part subjective? Maybe. With deck access properties, the valuer needs to be satisfied that the development is of good quality and that there’s demonstrable resale demand. If they flag concerns, the lender will typically decline regardless of the rest of the application.
Very much so. In strong rental markets – particularly parts of London where ex-council stock is genuinely in demand – lenders and valuers tend to take a more flexible view. In thinner markets where resale evidence is limited, it’s harder to make the case. A broker with experience in this area will factor location into which lenders they approach.
Don’t keep applying, don’t, no, no no. Multiple declined applications do affect your credit profile. Instead, speak to a specialist broker who understands this type of property and can identify the right lender before any further applications are made. It’s much better to do the groundwork first, this is a case of the right lender for the right proposition – not a beauty parade.
We’ve arranged finance on properties that other brokers couldn’t place, including deck access flats. Our approach is to understand the lender’s underlying concern – usually resaleability and security – and address it directly in how we structure and present the application.
We know which lenders are likely to consider these properties and what they need to see to get comfortable. If you’ve been declined elsewhere or you want to avoid that experience, it’s worth speaking to us first. Trying multiple lenders multiple times really doesn’t work.
Over 30 years finance experience. Former credit underwriter, founder of Lime Finance Solutions in 2012. Multi Award winning business, featured in Sunday Telegraph, Parliamentary Review, Sky TV and others. Regular contributor to press and business associations. FCA Authorised, ALIBF Qualified. Specialist in Commercial Mortgages, Business Lending, Property and Development Finance.
Tel: 01293 541333
Email: hello@lime-fs.com
Tel: 0207 866 2102
Email: hello@lime-fs.com
Tel: 01293 541333
Email: hello@lime-fs.com
Tel: 0207 866 2102
Email: hello@lime-fs.com
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