The Complexity of Modern Earnings

For today’s athletes and entertainers, income is no longer just about salaries or performance fees. A Premier League footballer may earn more from image rights and sponsorship deals than from their club contract. A musician may derive significant income from merchandising companies or touring subsidiaries. Actors and performers frequently run their careers through limited companies, mixing salary, dividends, and retained profits.

While these arrangements make sense from a tax and financial planning perspective, they create major challenges when it comes to property finance. Mortgage underwriters prefer clean, simple income structures. When income flows through multiple entities, relies on brand sponsorships, or is tied up in company accounts, many lenders struggle to interpret the true picture.

In 2025, with affordability models increasingly automated, this challenge has only grown sharper. If income cannot be neatly categorised, mainstream lenders often exclude it from affordability calculations, leaving borrowers with offers that vastly underestimate their financial reality.

Why Image Rights Companies Raise Questions

Image rights arrangements are now common among elite athletes and entertainers. They allow a separate company—often controlled by the individual—to own and licence their personal brand. Payments from clubs, sponsors, or commercial partners are routed through the company, which then pays the individual dividends or salary.

For lenders, this structure raises three main issues. First, image rights companies are often new or lightly capitalised, with limited track records. Second, income can fluctuate depending on performance, media exposure, or contract negotiations. Third, underwriters may be uncertain whether company profits are genuinely available for mortgage repayments or earmarked for reinvestment.

Unless the case is carefully explained, many lenders will simply disregard income from image rights companies, drastically reducing borrowing capacity.

Sponsorship and Endorsements: Another Layer of Complexity

Sponsorship and endorsement deals create similar difficulties. For example, a tennis player may have contracts with sportswear brands, watchmakers, and nutrition companies, each with different terms and payment schedules. Some deals may be guaranteed for several years; others may be performance-based or cancellable at short notice.

While these deals can provide substantial income, lenders want evidence of stability. A two-year sponsorship contract carries more weight than a rolling annual deal. Proof of renewal history also matters. Without detailed documentation, banks often treat sponsorship income as unreliable, even if it forms a significant part of the borrower’s lifestyle.

The Role of Side Companies and Diversified Income

Many entertainers and athletes establish side companies—production firms, music labels, event businesses, or property investment vehicles. These businesses may generate additional income or serve as vehicles for wealth management. From a lender’s perspective, however, side companies complicate the picture.

Some banks only consider salary or dividends actually drawn from a company, ignoring retained profits. Others require audited accounts, even if the company is small. This can penalise borrowers who prudently leave profits in the business. Without the right explanation and structuring, side companies often create more confusion than clarity.

This is why specialist mortgage advice is essential. Our blog on Mortgages for Self-Employed Borrowers in 2025 highlights similar issues: lenders frequently underestimate what self-employed clients can truly afford. For athletes and entertainers, the stakes are even higher given the scale of potential income and the complexity of contracts.

How Lenders Really View These Income Streams

In 2025, lenders categorise income into tiers of reliability. Salary and long-term contracts remain the gold standard. Dividends and company profits are accepted if accounts are robust. Image rights, sponsorships, and royalties are considered more volatile—lenders often discount them heavily unless backed by strong evidence.

Private banks take a more sophisticated view. They may be willing to consider brand value, long-term sponsorship trends, or even projected future income if contracts are clear. They also place weight on the borrower’s total wealth, including investment portfolios, property holdings, and liquid assets.

Specialist lenders sit somewhere in between. They will usually accept sponsorship and company income if supported by contracts, accountant letters, or management accounts, but they remain cautious about renewals and cancellations.

Strategies That Strengthen Applications

Borrowers who rely on image rights, sponsorship, or side company income can improve their mortgage prospects significantly by preparing properly. This includes ensuring contracts are clearly documented, accounts are up to date, and income flows are transparent.

For example, submitting detailed management accounts that show dividend capacity can make the difference between rejection and approval. Providing copies of sponsorship contracts, along with evidence of renewals, reassures lenders that income is not a one-off. Demonstrating diversified income sources—such as combining sponsorship, royalties, and company profits—can also strengthen the overall case.

At Willow, we often coordinate with accountants and agents to package these elements in a lender-friendly way. This reduces underwriter uncertainty and maximises the chance of approval.

Why Timing Still Matters

Just as with Mortgages for Professional Athletes, timing is critical. Applying for a mortgage just after securing a new sponsorship deal or signing an endorsement contract provides stronger evidence than applying mid-renewal. Similarly, submitting accounts just after dividend declarations creates a clearer picture than applying when profits remain undistributed.

This kind of timing strategy requires forward planning. At Willow, we encourage clients to think about property finance months in advance of major income events, so we can align the application with their financial peak.

Protection: Reassuring Lenders and Safeguarding Borrowers

Protection products play a vital role in supporting complex cases. Lenders are more willing to consider non-traditional income if robust protections are in place. For athletes and entertainers, this means having income protection, life insurance, and critical illness cover that align with their borrowing.

Our blog on Life Insurance & Estate Planning for HNW Clients in 2025 explains how protection is increasingly tied to borrowing decisions. For borrowers with sponsorship or image rights income, protections not only strengthen mortgage applications but also provide essential safeguards for families if earnings suddenly fall.

How Willow Private Finance Helps

Willow Private Finance specialises in bridging the gap between complex income profiles and lenders’ rigid criteria. We understand the structures behind image rights companies, sponsorship contracts, and side businesses. Our role is to translate this complexity into a narrative that lenders can accept and approve.

We:

• Work with private banks and specialist lenders who understand these income streams.
• Liaise with accountants, lawyers, and agents to gather the right documentation.
• Advise on timing applications to coincide with contract renewals or company accounts.
• Integrate protection strategies that reassure lenders and safeguard borrowers.

For professional athletes and entertainers, this level of expertise is often the difference between being declined by a high street bank and securing multi-million-pound finance with a private institution.

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