Self-certification is a simple way of detailing your income as you simply self declare what you earn and the lender will not insist on seeing audited accounts.

This is how a self-certification loan should work, but there are still some lenders who will need you to prove your income in other ways, such as an accountant's certificate. This is a document signed by your accountant to say that your income is sufficient to service the loan requested. You may also be asked to produce your business bank statements for a set period so the lender can look at the gross income you have received.

Most lenders will supplement this information with credit searches. If you are a homeowner, you will be asked to supply your existing mortgage statements, and if you are renting the lender will ask for a reference from your landlord.

Self-certification has limits - most lenders will only allow you to prove your income in this way if you want to borrow less than 75% loan to value, so you will need to put down a substantial deposit. However, some lenders may allow you borrow up to 85% on a self-certification basis.