A genuine gift
The money is not repayable. The lender and conveyancer will check the donor, source of funds and whether the donor expects any ownership interest.
MOVA / Gifted Deposits & Family Support
Gifted deposits and family support
Family helping with your home? Understand gifted deposits, repayable loans and family-assisted borrowing before deciding how to proceed.
30-minute initial phone call · No cost · No pressure to proceed
Steven Cooper
Founder · MOVA Mortgages
- Clarify the family arrangement
- Check lender evidence needs
- Coordinate with your conveyancer
The MOVA panel
Mortgage lenders on our panel
- Halifax Intermediaries
- Nationwide for Intermediaries
- NatWest
- Barclays
- Santander
- HSBC
- Coventry
- Leeds Building Society
- Virgin Money
- Accord Mortgages
- Skipton Intermediaries
- TSB
- Bank of Ireland
- Aldermore Mortgages
- Kensington
- Pepper Money
- Bluestone Mortgages
- Foundation Homeloans
- The Mortgage Lender
- Vida Home Loans
- United Trust Bank
- West One
- Together
- Metro Bank
- MPowered Mortgages
- Gen H
- April Mortgages
- Afin Bank
- Bath Building Society
- Beverley Building Society
- Buckinghamshire Building Society
- Cambridge Building Society
- Chorley Building Society
- Clydesdale Bank
- Coutts
- Darlington Building Society
- Dudley Building Society
- Earl Shilton Building Society
- Ecology Building Society
- Family Building Society
- Furness Building Society
- Hanley Building Society
- Harpenden Building Society
- Hinckley & Rugby Building Society
- Hodge
- Leek Building Society
- Loughborough Building Society
- Mansfield Building Society
- Market Harborough
- Marsden Building Society
- Melton Building Society
- Newbury Building Society
- Newcastle Building Society
- Nottingham for Intermediaries
- Penrith Building Society
- Perenna Bank
- Post Office
- Principality Building Society
- Progressive Building Society
- Saffron for Intermediaries
- Scottish Building Society
- Scottish Widows Bank
- Stafford Building Society
- Suffolk Building Society
- Swansea Building Society
- Tandem Bank
- Teachers for Intermediaries
- The Co-Operative Bank for Intermediaries
- Tipton & Coseley Building Society
- Vernon Building Society
- West Brom Building Society
Understand the family arrangement
A gift, a loan and family-assisted borrowing are different.
Tell us how the help will work before treating it as part of your deposit.
A repayable family loan
If repayment is expected, say so. It must be disclosed and can affect affordability, lender acceptance and the legal arrangement.
Family-assisted borrowing
A relative may support borrowing or provide security under a lender-specific arrangement. Their obligations and risks need separate consideration.
MOVA explains the mortgage options and evidence. Your solicitor advises on ownership, documentation and whether anyone needs independent legal advice.
Talk it through →A genuine gift is different from borrowing the deposit.
A gifted deposit is money given towards the purchase without an obligation to repay it. Tell Steven if repayment is expected, if the person contributing will live in the property, or if they will have an ownership interest. Do not describe a loan as a gift.
Prepare for the evidence, without sending it here.
Requirements vary, but a lender or conveyancer may ask for a signed declaration and documents about the person making the gift and the funds. Steven can help explain what is needed for the relevant route. Your first website enquiry only needs a broad outline.
Family assistance is not one standard product.
Joint borrowing, gifts and other supported arrangements can have different consequences for ownership, future borrowing and the person helping. Availability depends on lender criteria. Independent legal or tax advice may be needed, particularly where someone takes on a liability or uses their own property or savings as security.
Your questions, answered
Your questions, answered
Have a question that is specific to you?
Can anyone provide a gifted deposit?
Lenders have their own rules about acceptable donors and evidence. Tell Steven about the relationship before assuming the gift will be accepted.
Can my family lend me the deposit instead?
A repayable contribution is a different arrangement and must be disclosed. Whether it is acceptable depends on the lender and your circumstances.
Do you provide legal or tax advice?
No. MOVA can discuss the mortgage enquiry; legal and tax questions should be addressed by an appropriately qualified professional.
A practical next step
Talk through family help with your deposit.
Tell Steven who is providing the gift, the amount and where the money comes from. Make the arrangement clear before relying on it for your purchase.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The amount will depend on your circumstances and will be explained and agreed before you choose to proceed.
