Helping more first time buyers, nationwide.

With your support we help more people get their first mortgage than anyone else*.

Welcome to our first time buyer hub

Our first time buyer hub includes information on Helping Hand and criteria. You will also find useful information to help with your clients applications as well as reasons your first time buyer clients should choose Nationwide for their first mortgage.

Helping Hand

Helping Hand could help your clients borrow up to 6x more when taking a 5 or 10 year fixed rate product.

Affordability calculator

See how much your first time buyer clients could borrow.

Use our calculator

Why choose Nationwide?

Mortgages up to 95% LTV from our homebuyer product range (on 95% LTV products for first time buyers, the maximum loan size is £750,000)
£500 cashback** available on all products
Helping Hand offers first time buyers an increased loan amount when taking a long term fixed rate product.
Further access to low deposit mortgages through our support of affordable housing and government backed schemes
No standard valuation fees
Help to Buy: ISAs accepted from any lender towards the property purchase price
Fully portable products, helping your client to move again in the future

Additional help with your first time buyer applications

Housing schemes

Help to Buy – Equity Loan support, Shared Ownership, Forces Help to Buy and other housing schemes could support your first time buyer clients.

See our Housing schemes

Higher LTV criteria and top tips

Before submitting an application, read our tips and enhanced criteria to help get your application right first time.

Read our enhanced criteria

Packaging support

Read our range of packaging guides which could help you receive a quicker offer.

Go to our guides

First time buyer criteria and case support

First time buyer definition This will reveal additional content

Applicants who haven't held a mortgage in the last three years (this includes UK and non-UK mortgages).

All applicants to the mortgage need to be first time buyers to qualify for first time buyer products/discounts.

First time buyers are not eligible for interest only purchase applications.

We need to underwrite some cases in more detail. To prevent delays for your clients, please see our key information for DIP refer cases.

**First time buyer cashback eligibility This will reveal additional content

Only one £500 cashback will be paid per mortgage and is payable to your client within one month of completion of the mortgage.
This cashback offer only applies to customers whose product was reserved on or after 13 May 2015.
To qualify as a first time buyer your client mustn’t have held a mortgage in the last three years (this includes UK and non-UK mortgages).
All applicants to the mortgage need to be first time buyers to qualify for first time buyer products/cashback.

Helping Hand Loan to value This will reveal additional content

The maximum lending limits depending on the application. See our LTV and maximum loan size criteria.

Please ensure you check the product finder for the current rates.

*Source based on the number of residential first time buyer mortgage completions in the UK by banking brand, between January – December 2024. Provided by CACI Ltd Mortgage Market Database.

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Are you ready to make an application or check your latest valuation information?

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Search our A-Z criteria

Our A-Z criteria may have the answer you're looking for.

View our A-Z criteria