Joint First-Time Buyer Mortgage at 90% LTV: Three-Bed Semi-Detached House in Bath for Two Young Professionals

Heron Financial arranged a £326,000 mortgage at 90% LTV for joint first-time buyers in Bath, one working in local government, the other in business operations, purchasing a £362,000 three-bedroom semi-detached house. The £36,000 deposit was made up of £21,000 in personal savings and a £15,000 family gift, with both applicants in steady employed roles in their early career stage. Heron Financial placed the case with Accord Mortgages on a fixed rate, and the mortgage completed in May 2026.

The clients

The clients were a couple in Bath, buying their first home together. One applicant works in local government; the other in business operations, both established PAYE roles, with clean evidenced income through payslips and P60s. They had saved £21,000 between them and received a £15,000 family gift to bring the total deposit to £36,000 on a £362,000 purchase, putting the case at just under 90% LTV.

They came to Heron Financial in the situation a large slice of UK first-time buyer couples find themselves in: early-career incomes that are real and steady but not stretchy, a deposit built mostly from their own savings with a sensible top-up from family, and a clear target property in a town where the maths still works for buyers in their position.

The case at a glance

• Buyers: Joint first-time buyers, employed
• Nationality: British
• Occupations: Local government professional + business operations professional
• Property type: Three-bedroom semi-detached house
• Location: Bath
• Purchase price: £362,000
• Deposit: £36,000 total, £21,000 personal savings plus £15,000 family gift (approx. 10%)
• Loan amount: £326,000
• LTV: 90% (89.81% specifically)
• Lender: Accord Mortgages
• Repayment method: Capital and interest
• Completion: May 2026

The challenge

There’s nothing exotic about this case, and that’s the point. The work sits in three places that matter quietly:

Joint affordability for two young professionals. A £326,000 loan on standard 4.5x lending implies combined income of c.£72,500+. Local government and business operations roles are both PAYE, both well-treated by mainstream lenders, but the loan-to-income multiples and affordability calculations vary noticeably between lenders. Lender choice can shift the borrowing capacity by £20,000 or more on the same payslips.

The mixed deposit structure. Two sources, personal savings and family gift, means two sets of evidence: bank statements showing the savings build-up over time, and a signed gift letter from the donor with ID and source-of-funds documentation. Routine, but it needs handling cleanly so underwriting doesn’t pause to chase paperwork.

90% LTV pricing. At just under 90% LTV the case sat at the top of the band, where lender pricing is less competitive than at 85% or 75% but still very workable. Pricing varies meaningfully between lenders at 90% LTV in particular, so the right lender choice was the difference between a strong rate and a middling one.

A young first-time buyer profile. Early-career joint first-time buyers often face slightly tighter affordability conversations because their income trajectory matters as much as the current figure. The case fitting cleanly within the lender’s standard affordability, rather than relying on exception underwriting, was important for a smooth completion.

How Heron Financial approached the recommendation

The Heron adviser focused on the affordability shape and lender fit, with gift documentation handled in parallel.

Affordability across the panel. Heron Financial compared how each shortlisted lender would treat the two PAYE incomes, including any regular variable elements alongside basic pay, to confirm the £326,000 loan sat comfortably within affordability rather than at the edge.

Gift documentation up front. The £15,000 family gift was structured cleanly with a signed gift letter from the donor confirming the funds were a non-repayable gift with no claim on the property, plus donor ID and source-of-funds evidence prepared and submitted alongside the application.

Lender choice. Accord Mortgages was the right home for this case. They have workable criteria for joint first-time buyer affordability at 90% LTV, take a clean approach to gifted deposits, and offered competitive pricing at the band. Accord (part of the Yorkshire Building Society Group) is a broker-only lender, not available direct, which is one of the practical reasons their products are sometimes missed by buyers shopping the high street themselves.

Product choice. A fixed rate gave the clients payment certainty in the early years of ownership. At 90% LTV on a meaningful loan, any rate change would be felt sharply on the monthly payment, so locking in the rate for a defined period was a sensible choice for a couple stepping into their first significant financial commitment.

The outcome

The mortgage completed in May 2026. The clients moved into their first home with:
A £326,000 mortgage at 90% LTV
A fixed rate on capital and interest repayment
Both deposit sources cleanly documented and accepted
A lender they wouldn’t have reached by walking into a high-street bank

What this means for buyers in a similar position

If you’re a young working couple with a 10% deposit, made up mostly of your own savings with some family help, you have access to a wide and competitive lender market, but the right lender for you isn’t necessarily the one whose branch you walk past. Some of the most competitive 90% LTV first-time buyer products are with broker-only lenders like Accord, who don’t lend direct to the public. 

The affordability calculation also varies meaningfully between lenders, which can shift your borrowing capacity by tens of thousands on the same income. A broker checks the whole market for you, places the application where it works hardest, and handles the gift documentation alongside so nothing slows the case down.