The honest answer is: less than most people think, and more than the adverts suggest. Here is how the numbers work in practice, and what changes as your deposit grows.
1. The 5% floor
Several lenders will lend up to 95% of the purchase price, which means a 5% deposit gets you through the door. On a £280,000 home that is £14,000. The trade-off is the rate: 95% deals are priced higher than 90% or 85% ones, because the lender is carrying more of the risk.
2. The steps that actually matter
Rates are priced in bands, usually at 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75% and 60% loan-to-value. Moving from 5% to 10% deposit is the biggest single improvement most buyers can make. Moving from 12% to 14% changes nothing at all, because you are still in the same band. If you are close to a band, it is often worth waiting a few months or asking family for the difference.
3. What else you need on the day
The deposit is not the only cash. Budget for a valuation or survey, solicitor's fees, searches, and stamp duty if it applies to you. Some lenders add a product fee to the loan; others charge it up front. We list all of it on one page before you commit, so the day you exchange holds no surprises.
4. Where the money comes from
Savings, a gift from family, or the sale of a previous property all work. Lenders will ask to see where it came from, and a gift needs a short letter confirming it is not a loan. If any of that sounds complicated, it is exactly the kind of thing we sort out on the first call.
