Calling all First Time Buyers – Time to sweet talk mum and dad!
One thing that has come out of lockdown is a steady stream of First Time Buyers ready to get on the housing ladder.
Unfortunately, the banks have for a number of reasons (surveyors doing physical valuations, one hec of a backlog of applications and having to spend a lot of time / money dealing with the 3-month mortgage payment holiday), withdrawn most of their 90 and 95% mortgages, for the time being at least anyway.
There are however, a few schemes available if you can persuade a close relative to help, and the great news is that in some cases, they don’t need to fork out any money!
The Family Mortgage from The Family Building Society
This allows first time buyers to borrow up to 95% if a family member is willing to deposit some savings into a “Family Security Account” for a certain period of time, which earns interest.
Alternatively, if they don't have spare cash a family member can give a charge over some of the value in their own property as security instead.
The Family Springboard Mortgage from Barclays
Barclays allow you to borrow up to 100% of the property value if a family member (or in this case a friend) will put savings in an account with them. Again, there are conditions but assuming the mortgage is well maintained, they will get their money back, with interest.
The First Start Mortgage from Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland scheme boosts first time buyer’s borrowing power by combining their income with that of a sponsor. So together you can borrow more, responsibly. The sponsor needs to be a close relative, normally a parent, who is added as a co-borrower.
Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor
Other lenders allow parents or relatives to help out first time buyers by joining them on the mortgage in order to achieve lending requirements without insisting they are joint owner of the property. This gets around the additional stamp duty problem of a second mortgage and allows first time buyers to effectively own their first home alone.
Help to Buy / Shared Ownership
If none of this works then the government are still offering 20% “Help to Buy Equity Loans” on new build properties until 2021 when the scheme changes slightly and will be for first time buyers only. You will need to raise at least a 5% deposit.
Shared Ownership schemes are another great way of getting on the ladder. This allows first time buyers to part rent and part buy. Again, you need to raise a 5% deposit, but only on the share you are buying, so this reduces the cash you need to save.
Click here for more information on First Time Buyer Mortgages.
If you would like any details on any of these schemes Contact Mortgage Required for an initial chat on 01628 507477 or click here to book a free call or video appointment.
A recent study by Boon Brokers where 1,000 people who had used an estate agent over the last year were surveyed, showed that a whopping 52% said they were pressured into using the estate agents’ in-house mortgage broker.
7 days ago
Analysts are predicting further rate cuts this year, with the next one possibly coming down to 4% when the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee meet on Thursday 7th August 2025.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has shared new changes to mortgage rules with the aim to simplify remortgaging, and encourage competition within the mortgage market.
14 days ago
Lloyds Banking Group has jumped on the bandwagon to boost lending for first-time buyers as they allocate an additional £4 billion to help first-time buyers on to the property ladder.
As the Loan to Income (LTI) cap has been increased to 5.5 times income, applicants who fit the First Time Buyer Boost criteria could borrow up to 22% more.
The government is introducing mortgage reforms to boost homeownership, stimulate economic growth, and make the housing market more accessible, especially for first-time buyers.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the most significant mortgage reforms in over a decade—great news for those dreaming of homeownership.
17 days ago
Nationwide ease their ‘Helping Hand’ mortgage designed to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder by allowing them to borrow up to six times their income.
23 days ago
Keeping the kids entertained over the six-week summer holidays isn’t always easy, especially with the cost-of-living making it even more difficult. Below is a list of fun, inexpensive ideas to do over the break
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a discussion paper about the future of the mortgage market in a bid to improve access for first -time buyers, self-employed, and those borrowing in retirement.