First-time buyers in the UK can now borrow up to half-a-million quid with no deposit, as long as they're fortunate enough to have a family member (or very generous pal) who can offer a bit (OK, a lot) of help.
Barclays Family Springboard allows new homeowners to take out a mortgage of up to £500,000, without a deposit, if a family member or friend stumps up 10 percent of the property's price from their savings.
The savings are then locked away in a fixed-term savings account for five years as security, while the buyer pays off the mortgage.
The mortgage lets buyers borrow from between £5,000 and £500,000, with a fixed rate of 2.95 percent.
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Although it's called the Family Springboard - it doesn't need to be family member who helps out. If you have a very generous friend then that's fine, too - and if you do have a very generous friend, send them in my direction, please.
The deals were first introduced six years ago, but the bank has since changed its deals so that first-time buyers can borrow more, up to £500,000, over a longer period of time, up to 35 years.
To take advantage of the deal, the family member (or friend) who is willing to help out needs to set up a Helpful Start savings account with Barclays after the bank has made an offer for a mortgage.
After the five-year fixed-term period, they will be given back the 10 percent they handed over, plus interest - so it's not a bad deal for them, either.
Hannah Bernard, head of Barclays Mortgages, told Mortgage Finance Gazette: "Since the launch of our Family Springboard Mortgage in 2013, we've been leading the way in offering more people the opportunity to step onto the property ladder earlier than they might have been able to previously.
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"Barclays own research has shown that many first-time buyers view the money for a deposit as a 'gift' that doesn't need to be paid back, therefore placing a significant levy on the 'Bank of Mum and Dad'.
"The Family Springboard mortgage has been specifically designed to remove the financial burden from parents and to ensure they receive their deposit with interest at the end of the five-year fixed-rate period."
Other banks, including Lloyds, offer similar deals for first-time buyers.
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