First-Time Buyer Schemes 2026: Every Scheme Explained

Government help for first-time buyers in 2026 comes in several forms. Some schemes boost your savings, some reduce the price, some let you buy part of a home, and some encourage lenders to accept smaller deposits. Here is every current option, what has closed, and how they fit together.

At a glance

Scheme	What it does	Status
Mortgage Guarantee Scheme (UK)	Supports 91% to 95% mortgages	Open, permanent
Lifetime ISA (UK)	25% bonus on up to £4,000 a year	Open, replacement planned
Shared Ownership (England (own schemes elsewhere))	Buy a 10% to 75% share, rent the rest	Open
First Homes (England)	At least 30% off certain new homes	Depends on your council
Rent to Buy (England outside London)	Rent 20% below market to save a deposit	Open where available
Right to Buy (England)	Discount for council tenants	Open, reforms proposed
Right to Acquire (England)	£9,000 to £16,000 off for some housing association tenants	Open
Help to Buy Wales (Wales)	Equity loan on new builds up to £300,000	Applications by 31 March 2027
First Homes Fund (Scotland)	£10,000 towards homes up to £300,000	Opened 24 June 2026
Your First Home (England)	Proposed 2.5% deposit new-build equity loan	Announced, not open

Schemes across the UK

Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

The government guarantees part of lenders’ losses on mortgages of 91% to 95% loan-to-value, which keeps 5% deposit mortgages available on new and older homes. It is permanent but does not guarantee you will be accepted. See our first-time buyer deposit guide.

Lifetime ISA

If you are 18 to 39, you can save up to £4,000 a year and the government adds 25%, up to £1,000 a year. For a first home the property must cost £450,000 or less and the account must be at least 12 months old. Withdrawals for other reasons usually lose 25%. The government has said it plans to replace the Lifetime ISA with a new ISA for first-time buyers, so check the current rules. See GOV.UK Lifetime ISA.

Stamp Duty relief

In England and Northern Ireland, first-time buyers pay no Stamp Duty on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion up to £500,000. Scotland has its own first-time buyer relief on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, while Wales has no separate relief. See who counts as a first-time buyer.

Schemes in England

Shared Ownership

Buy a share of between 10% and 75% of a home and pay rent on the rest. Your household income must be £80,000 or less, or £90,000 in London. Read our full Shared Ownership guide.

First Homes

Eligible buyers can purchase certain new-build homes at a discount of at least 30%, with price caps of £250,000 outside London and £420,000 in London after the discount, and household income limits of £80,000, or £90,000 in London. Since December 2024 councils are no longer required to include First Homes in new developments, so availability depends on where you buy. See GOV.UK First Homes.

Rent to Buy

Available in England outside London, Rent to Buy homes are let at around 20% below market rent, normally for up to two years, so you can save a deposit. You need to be working and a first-time buyer, or returning to ownership after a relationship breakdown. You may be able to buy the home you rent, and if the landlord sells it, they must offer it to you first. London has its own London Living Rent scheme.

Right to Buy and Right to Acquire

Council tenants can buy their home with a discount of up to £16,000 to £38,000 depending on the area, and some housing association tenants can buy with a discount of £9,000 to £16,000. Read our Right to Buy guide and Right to Acquire guide.

Your First Home (proposed)

Announced on 26 September 2026, this proposed scheme would help first-time buyers buy a new-build home from a participating developer with a 2.5% deposit, supported by a government-backed equity loan of up to 20%. Details were due at the Budget on 28 October 2026, and it was not open at the time of our October 2026 review.

Schemes in Wales

Help to Buy Wales offers a shared equity loan on new-build homes up to £300,000 from registered builders, with at least a 5% deposit. According to the Welsh Government, applications must be submitted by 31 March 2027. Wales also has its own shared ownership and rent to own options through housing associations.

Schemes in Scotland

The First Homes Fund opened on 24 June 2026. According to the Scottish Government, it gives first-time buyers a £10,000 contribution towards a home worth up to £300,000, held as a secured equity share that is normally repaid when you sell, with no monthly payments or interest. The Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) remains available for people on low to moderate incomes.

Lender and developer schemes

Not every route is run by government:

• Deposit Unlock: 5% deposits on some new-build homes from participating developers. See our new-build mortgage guide.
• 100% mortgages for renters: a small number of lenders have offered these to people with a strong rent record.
• Family-backed mortgages: Family Springboard, joint borrower sole proprietor and guarantor mortgages.

Schemes that have closed

• Help to Buy equity loan (England): closed to new applications in October 2022. Existing loans are covered in our Help to Buy guide.
• Help to Buy ISA: closed to new savers in November 2019. Existing accounts can be paid into until 30 November 2029.
• Help to Build: the self-build equity loan closed to new applications in March 2025.

Be wary of older articles that still present these as options.

Can you combine schemes?

Often, yes. Common combinations include a Lifetime ISA towards a 5% deposit with first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief, or a Lifetime ISA used for a Shared Ownership deposit. Some combinations are not allowed. For example, you cannot use the bonus from both a Help to Buy ISA and a Lifetime ISA on the same purchase. Each scheme also has its own mortgage rules, so check the lender will accept it before you commit.

First-time buyer scheme FAQs

Find the right scheme for you

We can check which schemes you qualify for, which lenders accept them and how to combine them with the best mortgage for your circumstances. Your initial consultation is free. Read our first-time buyer mortgage guide for the full buying process.