‘Trapped Renters’ To Be Offered 100% Mortgages For First Time Since Financial Crash

A new generation of deposit-free mortgages may be emerging to help first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. 

Skipton Building Society is preparing to launch a 100% mortgage targeting those “trapped in rental cycles”, and it could be launched in the next few days or weeks, according to a report in The Times.

The move is significant as lenders pulled their no-deposit mortgages from the market following the 2008 financial crash, viewing them as too risky.

While details of how the product will work have yet to be confirmed, the newspaper reported there are likely to be some conditions before the lender approves the deposit-free loan.

Borrowers will have to show their rental history for up to two years – in effect demonstrating they can afford the mortgage repayments. The paper adds the deal will be fixed for more than two years to protect against falling into negative equity.

Some other lenders already offer mortgages that don’t require a mortgage – but they come with a catch, typically requiring the equivalent of 10% of the loan to be placed in a savings account. The Skipton mortgage would not require this help from “the bank of mum and dad”.

Banks have also been offering mortgages to buyers with a deposit of just 5% through the government-backed scheme which allows both first-time buyers and current home owners to secure a loan to buy a house for up to £600,000. It runs until December.

It comes amid signs that determined first-time buyers are still doing all they can to get on to the ladder despite economic challenges.

Surging rental prices and signs that mortgage rates have been settling in recent months, following the market turmoil after last year’s mini-budget, are factors which could be helping to focus some would-be homeowners’ minds.

Rightmove recently said demand in the first-time buyer sector is currently 11% higher than in the “normal” pre-pandemic market of 2019.

Across Britain, the average asking price for a first-time buyer type property currently sits at a record of £224,963, according to Rightmove’s data.