Heron Financial arranged a £307,000 mortgage at 75% LTV for a solo home mover in Sheffield, purchasing a £410,000 semi-detached house with a £102,000 deposit rolled over from the sale of their previous home. The client wanted strong pricing and payment certainty on a clean home move with no chain complications carried over. Heron Financial placed the case with TSB on a fixed rate at 3.89%, and the mortgage completed in December 2025.
The client
The client was a solo home mover working as a solicitor, moving up the property ladder in Sheffield. They were selling their existing home and rolling the equity into a £410,000 semi-detached house, with £102,000 of sale proceeds available for the deposit on the new property.
They came to Heron Financial wanting a clean, well-priced mortgage on a sensible upsize. No chain dramas, no complicated income, no exotic property. The brief was about getting the right lender at the right LTV, not about rescuing a tricky case.
The case at a glance
- Buyer: Solo home mover, employed
- Nationality: British
- Occupation: Solicitor
- Property type: Semi-detached house
- Location: Sheffield
- Purchase price: £410,000
- Deposit: £102,000 from sale proceeds (25%)
- Loan amount: £307,000
- LTV: 75%
- Lender: TSB Bank plc
- Product: Fixed Rate at 3.89%
- Repayment method: Capital and interest
- Completion: December 2025
The challenge
There’s nothing tricky about this case on paper, and that’s exactly the point.
75% LTV is a sweet spot. Lender pricing moves in bands. 60% LTV typically gets the sharpest rate; 75% LTV is usually the next-best tier and where a large proportion of home movers naturally land. By rolling all £102,000 of sale equity into the deposit, the client landed firmly at 75% LTV rather than stretching to a higher LTV with more cash retained.
Solo affordability on a £307,000 loan. A solo buyer borrowing over £300,000 needs a lender comfortable with the income multiple involved. Solicitors are generally well-treated by mainstream lenders, but the specific affordability calculation still varies between them.
Chain considerations. Home moves with a property to sell often involve chains, which can affect both timing and lender choice. A clean sale completion alongside the purchase is the ideal, and it’s what happened here.
Rate environment. A 3.89% fixed rate on a December 2025 75% LTV completion is strong pricing on the high street. The combination of a competitive LTV band, a clean profile and the right lender choice produced a rate that wouldn’t have been available at 80% or 85%.
How Heron Financial approached the recommendation
The Heron adviser ran the case through three lenses: LTV positioning, lender affordability, and product choice.
LTV positioning. Heron Financial confirmed that putting the full £102,000 of sale equity into the deposit landed the case at 75% LTV, a meaningfully better pricing tier than 80% or 85%. The client had the option to retain some sale equity as a cash buffer, but the rate difference made full deployment into the deposit the stronger choice for their circumstances.
Lender choice. TSB’s pricing at 75% LTV, combined with their affordability approach for employed professional borrowers, made them the right home for the case on overall terms.
Product. A fixed rate at 3.89% gave the client payment certainty on a clean home move. For a solo mover on a single income servicing a £307,000 loan, that certainty is worth real money against the alternative of a cheaper short-term product followed by a rate review under unknown future conditions.
The sale and purchase completion were aligned so the equity transferred cleanly into the new deposit without bridging or short-term lending in the middle.
The outcome
The mortgage completed in December 2025. The client moved into their new home with:
A £307,000 mortgage at 75% LTV
A fixed rate at 3.89% on capital and interest repayment
The full sale equity rolled cleanly into the deposit
Strong high-street pricing on a clean home move
What this means for buyers in a similar position
If you’re selling an existing home and rolling the equity into a new purchase, the LTV band you land in matters more than most home movers realise. Putting more sale equity into the deposit, even when it feels like a lot of cash going into bricks and mortar, can drop you into a lower LTV pricing tier, typically saving real money on the rate.
The exception is when you genuinely need a cash buffer for renovations or other costs, in which case retaining some equity can be the right call. A good broker walks you through the trade-off rather than assuming.
FAQs
Can I use the proceeds from selling my house as 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.
What is a good LTV for a home mover mortgage?
Lender pricing improves in steps as LTV drops, with notable tiers at 80%, 75% and 60%. For most home movers, 75% LTV is a strong target, competitive pricing without needing to deploy every penny of sale equity. 60% LTV typically gets the sharpest rates on the high street, but requires a much larger deposit.
Should I put all my sale equity into the new deposit?
It depends. Deploying more equity reduces your LTV, which usually gets you a better rate and a smaller loan. Retaining some equity keeps a cash buffer for moving costs, renovations, or emergencies. The right balance depends on the rate trade-off, your other savings, and how much liquid cash you want post-completion.
Is a fixed rate a good idea for a home mover?
For most home movers, yes. A fixed rate gives payment certainty through a defined period, which matters when you’ve just absorbed the costs of moving. 5-year fixes suit settled moves; 2-year fixes can suit borrowers expecting income or life changes, or those who think rates will fall.
Can a solo buyer get a £300,000+ mortgage on a single income?
Yes, subject to income. Most lenders cap borrowing at 4.5x income, with some offering 5x or higher for stronger profiles. A £307,000 loan typically needs a single income in the £70,000+ range under standard 4.5x rules. Specific affordability varies between lenders.
