Mortgage affordability changes spark rise in solo first-time buyers

Santander UK has seen a significant rise in solo first-time buyers, as the effects of this summer’s FCA mortgage rule changes begin to take hold. 

The bank's figures show a 13% increase in sole-borrower first-time buyer mortgage applications received between June-October, compared with January-May 2025 - suggesting that recent changes to stress rate and loan-to-income (LTI) criteria are helping more individuals secure a mortgage on their own. 

Santander says 2025 is "set to be the year of the solo buyer" – with individual applicants outstripping joint applicants consistently for the first time in five years. 

What’s more, 50 years on from the change in law that allowed women to buy a property on their own (Sex Discrimination Act 1975) Santander has seen women account for nearly half (48%) of all individual first-time buyers in 2025. This is a steady increase from 42% a decade ago, in 2015.

The data shows a peak in April, when sole applicants accounted for 56% of all new applications received, following Santander’s move in March to respond to the FCA’s clarification over stress rates. The lender calculated at the time that the adjustment in its lending policy could allow potential buyers to access up to £35,000 more in borrowing.  

Similarly, August saw the second highest volume of individual applicants (53%) for the year, following the bank’s adjustment to its loan to income limits. An example given at the time calculated that a sole buyer, earning £75,000 looking to take out a 25 year capital and interest repayment mortgage could borrow a further £33,000, from £267,000 up to £300,000, following the change on 12th August.

David Morris, head of homes at Santander UK, said: “We’ve seen a real shift in who’s driving the first-time buyer market. Where once joint applications dominated, more people are now stepping onto the ladder on their own. This year’s mortgage changes have helped to level the playing field for solo buyers, and the data shows that momentum has held firm. It’s clear that confidence among single buyers is growing as lending policy changes bring more of them closer to the homeownership dream.”