Sky News: How to get a mortgage if you're self-employed - by industry insiders:

Anyone who has tried to get a mortgage while being self-employed probably won't look back fondly on the memory. Way more paperwork, from tax returns to bank statements dating back several years, can be required. 
And then there's the fact most accountants will have tried down the years to lower your tax liability, claiming expenses that lower your profit and adding lump sums to pension pots. But that profit is exactly the thing mortgage providers will be looking at in determining how much they'll lend you.

Harps Garcha, Director at Brookyns Financial gave this piece of advice.

Cut out the creative accounting before applying
"Accountants often use creative accounting to reduce tax liabilities, but this can lower your reported income, impacting mortgage affordability. Lower taxes mean lower income," says mortgage broker Harps Garcha.

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