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First time buyer

Find out how to buy your first home

NatWest mortgages are available to over 18s. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

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Steps to buying your first home

Read before you apply

Apply for a mortgage

1

Compare our mortgage rates

Enter a few details into our mortgage calculator and we’ll show you all the NatWest mortgages that could be right for you, based on what you've told us.
2

Get an indicative decision

You’ll need to get an Agreement in Principle to see if we think we may be able to lend you the amount you require.

This isn’t a firm decision, but it’s the most accurate result we can give you without performing a credit check. It won't take long and it won’t affect your credit score.
3

Continue and complete your application

Once you have your Agreement in Principle in place, you can meet one of our mortgage advisers at a branch, or talk with a member of our mortgage team over the phone. Request a callback to arrange this.

Alternatively, if you get an Agreement in Principle, you can select the mortgage you wish to apply for and continue your application online.

What you need OpenClose

It will help if you have the following documents handy

Three months' worth of payslips and bank statements to work out your income, plus any loan agreements to work out your monthly expenses.

More info about what we need Close

More info

We’ll ask you about the property you want to purchase, your income, expenses and dependants, if you have any.

If you’re applying for a joint mortgage, we’ll need to know the same details about the other person who is applying with you.

What you'll need to apply online today

Income - Your gross income details, this should match the amounts shown on your proof of income documents e.g. pay slips and details of any other income you have

Outgoings - Details of any loan repayments and any credit card balances

Address - Your current address and post code and the date you moved to this address

Bank details - Your bank account and sort code number

Contact details - Your employer's, solicitor's and estate agent's address and postcode

Eligibility OpenClose

What you need to know

We don’t currently offer mortgages for multi-party (three or more applicants), guarantor, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, or shared equity mortgages. All of our mortgages for first time buyers are on a capital and interest basis only.

Eligibility - more details Close

More details about eligibility

To be able to complete a mortgage application with NatWest, you must answer yes to the following:

You're planning to buy a home based in the UK

You're a UK or EU national, resident in the UK and aged 18 or over

You're paid in pounds sterling

You haven't been declared bankrupt in the past six years

You haven't had a County Court judgment against you in the past six years

You haven't ever organised a repayment plan with creditors

Credit checks OpenClose

About soft and full credit checks

When you apply for an Agreement in Principle, we'll need to do a “soft credit check”. But don’t worry, this won’t affect your credit score. If you go on to apply for a mortgage, we'll do a full credit check, which will show up on your credit file.

More details about credit checks Close

What is the difference between a soft and a full credit check?

A soft credit check is just an initial look at your information. Soft searches aren’t visible to companies. So there’s no impact on your credit score or any future credit applications. Only you can see them and you can get multiple soft searches done.

A full credit check is performed when a lender makes a full analysis of your credit history. This type of inquiry is visible on your credit report, so any company searching it will be able to see that you’ve applied for credit.

Get started on your application

Applying for your first mortgage should be quick and easy. The first step is to apply for an Agreement in Principle. You can do that online or, if you prefer, you can do it over the phone with our mortgage team.

Start applying for your mortgage

Already a customer? Login to see how much you could borrow

Apply in branch or by phone

You can meet one of our qualified mortgage advisers at a branch, or have a phone appointment. These appointments usually take around two hours.

You can arrange a free callback to do this. Our friendly mortgage team can guide you through the whole mortgage process and arrange an appointment at a time to suit you.

Alternatively, call 0800 096 9527.

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, please call us on our Minicom number: 0800 027 1396.

Arrange a free call back

Applying online

If you're ready to start a mortgage application, you'll need an Agreement in Principle to be able to proceed.

If you're successful, you'll choose your mortgage deal and continue with your full application from there. This should take around half an hour in total.

Please keep in mind that you won’t benefit from the protection our advisory service offers.

And, if you want to apply for a 95% mortgage or if you work for the armed forces, we’ll still need to speak to you in branch or on the phone.

If you can't apply online

Please give us a call to book an appointment with a mortgage adviser on 0800 096 9527 or arrange a free callback.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm. Excluding public holidays. Calls may be recorded. Minicom 0800 027 1396

Start your application