Heron Financial arranged a £427,500 mortgage at 90% LTV for two joint applicants in Sheffield, both education professionals, upsizing into a £472,500 four-bedroom terraced family home. The £45,000 deposit came from the sale of their existing property, putting the case at the top of the LTV band where lender choice narrows on higher loan sizes. Heron Financial placed the case with The Co-operative Bank on a fixed rate, and the mortgage completed in May 2026.
The clients
The clients were a couple in Sheffield, both working as education professionals, upsizing from their existing home into a four-bedroom terraced family house. They had sold their previous property and were rolling £45,000 of sale equity into the deposit on the new purchase, which at £472,000 put the borrowing requirement at £427,000, a 90% LTV mortgage at a higher loan size.
They came to Heron Financial in a position familiar to many UK home movers: enough sale equity to make the upsize possible, but not enough to drop into the more comfortable 75% or 85% LTV bands. The case needed a lender genuinely comfortable at 90% LTV on a loan over £400,000, with workable affordability on two teaching salaries.
The case at a glance
- Buyers: Joint home movers, employed
- Nationality: British
- Occupation: Education professionals (both applicants)
- Property type: Terraced house (four-bedroom)
- Location: Sheffield
- Purchase price: £472,000
- Deposit: £45,000 from property sale (approx. 9.5%)
- Loan amount: £427,000
- LTV: 90%
- Lender: The Co-operative Bank
- Repayment method: Capital and interest
- Completion: May 2026
The challenge
A 90% LTV home mover mortgage isn’t unusual on its own. Stacked with a higher loan size and joint affordability across two education sector incomes, the case sat in a tighter part of the lender market than it looks at first glance.
90% LTV on a £427,000 loan. Many mainstream lenders cap their 90% LTV lending at lower loan sizes, allowing higher LTVs only up to £400,000 or £500,000. Above those thresholds, the LTV cap often tightens to 85% or lower. £427,000 is right in the bracket where lender policy starts to vary materially.
Joint affordability on two education sector incomes. Education professionals are well-regarded by mainstream lenders, with steady, evidenced PAYE income. But a £427,000 loan needs an income multiple that comfortably supports the borrowing, typically requiring combined income of c.£95,000+ on standard 4.5x lending. Lender choice depended on the income multiple working without exception underwriting.
Sale equity coordination. The £45,000 deposit came directly from the sale of the existing property. The sale and purchase needed to align so the equity flowed cleanly into the new deposit, with no bridging required.
Family home dynamics. Four-bedroom upsizes are typically driven by family circumstances, growing children, working from home, multi-generational living. The mortgage advice needs to factor in the timeline the family expects to be in the home, which shapes the right product length.
How Heron Financial approached the recommendation
The Heron adviser focused on lender appetite at the loan size, joint affordability, and product fit for a family home upsize.
Lender mapping for 90% LTV at £400,000+. Heron Financial narrowed the panel to lenders genuinely comfortable with 90% LTV lending above £400,000. Not every advertised 90% LTV lender holds that LTV cap at higher loan sizes.
Joint affordability check. The adviser confirmed how the chosen lender would treat both education sector incomes, factoring in any TLR payments, additional responsibilities or regular variable elements alongside basic pay. The £427,000 loan needed to sit comfortably within affordability rather than at the edge.
Sale coordination. The mortgage application timeline was aligned with the sale completion of the existing property, so the £45,000 of equity flowed cleanly into the new deposit at exchange.
Lender choice. The Co-operative Bank was the right home for this case. They have workable criteria at higher LTVs on family home purchases, take a clean approach to joint employed incomes, and offered competitive pricing at the 90% LTV band for the loan size. They’re not always the first lender borrowers think to approach directly, which is part of where the broker added value here.
Product choice. A fixed rate gave the clients payment certainty in the early years of the new home, particularly valuable at 90% LTV, where any rate change would be felt sharply on the monthly payment of a £427,000 loan, and where the household has just absorbed the costs of moving.
The outcome
The mortgage completed in May 2026. The clients moved into their new family home with:
A £427,000 mortgage at 90% LTV
A fixed rate on capital and interest repayment
A clean coordination between sale and purchase completions
A lender outcome that few borrowers would have reached directly
What this means for buyers in a similar position
If you’re upsizing into a family home and the sale equity from your existing property only stretches to a 90% LTV deposit on the next one, you’re not alone, and the move is genuinely workable. The key thing to know is that not every 90% LTV lender holds that LTV cap at higher loan sizes. Many tighten their LTV above £400,000 or £500,000, which can quietly knock the case off the lender list without it being obvious from rate comparison sites. A broker who knows which lenders are genuinely open for business at 90% LTV on £400,000+ loans is the difference between a clean offer and a stack of unsuccessful applications.
FAQs
Can you get a 90% LTV mortgage on a family home over £400,000?
Yes, but the lender market is narrower than at lower loan sizes. Several mainstream lenders, including The Co-operative Bank, lend at 90% LTV on loans over £400,000. Many other lenders that advertise 90% LTV mortgages tighten their LTV cap to 85% or lower above certain loan size thresholds. Broker advice helps identify the right lenders.
Can two teachers get a £400,000+ mortgage?
Yes, subject to affordability. Two teachers with combined income of c.£95,000+ can typically support a £427,500 loan under standard 4.5x lender income multiples. TLR payments, additional responsibilities and regular variable income can strengthen the affordability picture further. Some lenders also offer professional mortgage criteria with higher income multiples for teachers.
Can I roll the proceeds from my house sale into the deposit on the next one?
Yes. Sale proceeds (your equity after the existing mortgage is paid off) are the standard source of deposit for home movers. The sale and purchase typically complete on the same day, with the equity flowing through your solicitor to fund the new deposit.
Is 90% LTV a good idea for a home mover?
It depends. 90% LTV is a workable option when sale equity doesn’t quite stretch to a lower LTV, and it’s particularly common on family home upsizes. The trade-off is a higher rate than at 75% or 85% LTV, and a smaller equity buffer. Many home movers accept this in exchange for being able to make the move when they need to, rather than waiting longer to save more.
Why might a mortgage end up with a less well-known lender like The Co-operative Bank?
Lender choice depends on which lender’s criteria fit your case at the best terms, not on brand recognition. The Co-operative Bank offers workable criteria at higher LTVs and higher loan sizes that some larger lenders don’t match. Brokers place cases with the right lender for the case, not just the most familiar one.
