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Single person mortgage

If you're trying to buy solo, or on a single income, try Tembo. Our award-winning team are experts in boosting affordability through a range of specialist mortgage schemes.

Boost your borrowing power by £82,000 on average
Access to 100+ lenders & 20,000+ mortgage products
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British Bank awards
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Best Mortgage Broker 5 years running

Dedicated mortgage team by your side

Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot

Best Mortgage Broker 5 years running

Dedicated mortgage team by your side

Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot

Being single shouldn't mean renting forever

Buying a home as a single first time buyer can feel an impossible task. But there are ways to boost your affordability, so you can get the keys to your own place. 

Working with over 100 lenders, we can advise you on the right scheme to increase your borrowing power. So you can get on the ladder sooner, or afford a larger property. To get started, create a free Tembo plan, or find out about the ways you could boost your borrowing below.

Create my Tembo plan

“Being a sole applicant, my income was not enough to buy in the area I wanted. I came across Tembo and realised there was another way to get on the ladder. With an Income Boost I could get a larger loan size - I couldn’t have done it without it”

Grace

Income Boost Customer

Why Tembo?

We help buyers, movers and homeowners discover how they could boost their affordability in 3 simple steps. It’s why we’re the UK’s Best Mortgage Broker.

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Buy with help from family or friends

If you’re buying by yourself, you could boost how much you could afford with help from loved ones. This doesn’t have to be a lump sum of cash from the Bank of Mum and Dad. Our specialist team can help you find the right family mortgage scheme for you and your loved ones.

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Income Boost

Adding a loved one's earnings to your mortgage application can boost the amount you can borrow. You’ll still be the sole owner of the property, but your Booster will step in if you can’t make the repayments.

Find out more

Deposit Boost

For a lot of single first time buyers, the biggest barrier is saving a big enough deposit. With a Deposit Boost, a family member or friend can unlock money from their home to top up your existing house fund, or to be used as your entire deposit.

Savings as Security

Get a 0% deposit mortgage with help from a family member. They'll deposit cash savings into a special savings account, where it'll be held by the lender as security. As long as you make your repayments, your loved one will get their savings back, plus interest.

Deposit Loan

Your loved ones can lend you a house deposit, in return for a stake in your home. With a boosted deposit, you can get access to lower mortgage rates or afford a more expensive property. While they get to co-invest with you.

Buy solo without family help

Not everyone has family or friends who can help you get on the ladder. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to boost your affordability. At Tembo, we advise on a range of schemes to help single buyers get a mortgage without family support. To find out what you could afford, create a plan today.

Create a Tembo plan

Private Shared Ownership

Struggling to save up a house deposit or worried about affording monthly repayments? Shared ownership could be the solution. Get a mortgage for a share of a property, then ‘staircase’ to buy more equity over time.

Find out more

Government Shared Ownership

Buy a share of a home with the government’s Shared Ownership scheme. You'll purchase a share of a property, then pay rent on the rest. Over time, you can staircase your way up to full ownership.

Deposit Unlock

Saving up for a deposit is difficult, especially when you’re saving by yourself or on a single income. With the Deposit Unlock scheme, you could buy sooner. All you only need is a 5% deposit to purchase one of the qualifying new build homes.

5.5x Income Mortgages

With a 5.5x Income Mortgage, you could boost your borrowing capacity with a mortgage 5.5 times your earnings. That could mean an extra bedroom, or a garden!

Professional Mortgages

Whether you're a vet, doctor, lawyer or accountant - if you work in a qualifying profession, you could borrow up to 5.5 times your salary, significantly increasing your total buying budget.

Armed Forces Help To Buy

If you are a serving military personnel, you could borrow up to 50% of your annual salary to boost your house buying budget with the Forces Help To Buy scheme.

Should I buy a house alone or with a partner?

Whether you buy with the help of a loved one, co-own with family or friends, or use a specialist scheme, there are plenty of ways that you can boost your affordability to buy solo or with a partner. Have a play around with our mortgage calculator to find out how much you could afford to borrow by yourself or with someone else.

Mortgage CalculatorCreate a Tembo plan

★★★★★

Stumbled across Tembo when looking for a self-employed mortgage specialist. I’m a sole trader, buying on my own, and not in a high-income bracket. Tembo (specifically Andy, my mortgage advisor) was great throughout the whole process - quick to respond, with clear and well-explained information, happy to answer potentially daft questions and importantly very personable. I cannot explain the difference it makes when navigating a world you have no experience in to feel like someone who knows what they are doing has your back."

Lottie

Single first-time buyer, July 2026

★★★★★

"My fiancée and I came to Tembo as first-time buyers on a single income, with a few complications in the mix. From the very first call, they were clear, patient and honest with us about what was and wasn't possible. Jess in particular has been outstanding. She never rushed us, always explained the reasoning behind her advice, and was happy to go back and re-run figures whenever we asked. If you're buying your first home and want advisers who'll actually take the time with you, I'd recommend Tembo without hesitation.

Mr JG

Single-income home purchaser, July 2026

★★★★★

"From my initial phone call to see if I was eligible to get a mortgage as a first time buyer, Tembo were extremely efficient. I am a self-employed, single parent and only had one full year of accounts. Luke - my broker - found me the perfect lender to fit my needs. It was absolutely worth it"

Danielle Van Hien

Single first-time buyer, July 2026

★★★★★

"I am a first-time solo buyer, and my experience with Tembo was absolutely fantastic. Initially, when researching mortgages and the process, I became quite overwhelmed, having not been through it before. The staff at Tembo were brilliant; they explained every step in detail and ensured I had a full understanding of the stages and process throughout."

Lucy James

Single first-time buyer, March 2026

★★★★★

"I am a first-time solo buyer, and my experience with Tembo was absolutely fantastic. The staff at Tembo were brilliant; they explained every step in detail and ensured I had a full understanding of the stages and process throughout, as well as giving very prompt responses when updates were available. I heard through work colleagues that Tembo are very good with sourcing mortgages and mortgage protection for NHS staff; I was certainly not disappointed. I couldn't recommend Tembo highly enough!"

Lucy James

First-time solo buyer & NHS worker, March 2026

Tools and calculators

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Mortgage calculator

See what you could afford in a quick glance.

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Stamp duty calculator

Work out what you may have to pay in Stamp Duty on your home purchase.

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Affordability checker

Go beyond basic calculators and discover all your buying options.

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