Forces Help to Buy
An interest-free loan from the Ministry of Defence towards your deposit and the costs of buying — up to half your annual salary, capped at £25,000, repaid from your pay over ten years. Getting the loan is the straightforward half. Finding a lender who treats it properly is the half we handle.
£25k
maximum loan, or 50% of salary if lower
0%
interest — you repay what you borrowed
10
years to repay, deducted from your salary
£0
broker fee from us, at any stage
Saving a deposit is hard for anybody. It is harder when you have been moved three times in five years, when service accommodation makes it difficult to see the point, and when a posting can land in the middle of a purchase. Forces Help to Buy exists because the Ministry of Defence recognised all of that.
It is a loan, not a grant — but an interest-free one, repaid straight from your salary over ten years, so you repay exactly what you borrowed and nothing more. It can go towards your deposit, and also towards the costs that catch people out: solicitors, surveys and estate agents' fees.
What the loan can cover
- All or part of your deposit
- Legal and conveyancing fees
- Survey and valuation costs
- Estate agents' fees when you are selling to move
Who can apply
- Regular armed forces personnel
- Meeting the length-of-service requirement
- Meeting the medical and disciplinary criteria
- First-time buyers and those moving home alike
The scheme's rules are set by the Ministry of Defence, not by us or by your lender, and they are the final word on whether you qualify. Check the current criteria through JPA or your chain of command before you commit to anything.
The part nobody warns you about
The MoD decides whether you get the loan. Your lender decides what it means for your mortgage — and lenders do not agree with each other.
Point one
Is it a deposit, or is it debt?
Some lenders treat the loan as a perfectly good deposit. Others look at it as borrowed money and want a share of the deposit to be yours as well. The same application can look very different to two lenders on the same day.
Point two
The repayment counts against you
The repayment comes off your salary each month, and most lenders will treat that as a monthly commitment when they work out what you can afford. It reduces the mortgage you can borrow, so it is worth knowing the number before you offer on a house.
Point three
Service income is not simple either
X-Factor, allowances, separation and accommodation charges on a pay statement can confuse an underwriter who has not seen one before. Presenting it clearly to a lender who is comfortable with it is most of the job.
Why us
Signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant.
- We hold the Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award, which goes to employers who do more than sign the Covenant.
- No broker fee at any stage. The lender pays us on completion, so the advice costs you nothing whether you proceed or not.
- A panel of 90+ lenders, which matters here more than usual — the right answer is often a lender you would not have found on a comparison site.
- We will tell you to wait if applying now would produce a decline, rather than putting a mark on your credit file to save a conversation.
- One named adviser with a direct line, which is worth something when you are away and calling in a narrow window.
Does the loan replace my mortgage?
No. Forces Help to Buy is there to help with the deposit and the costs of buying. You still need a mortgage for the rest of the purchase price, and that is arranged in the ordinary way — which is where we come in.
Will every lender accept it?
Not every lender, no, and the ones who do accept it do not all treat it the same way. That is exactly the reason to talk to a broker rather than walk into one bank: we will point the application at lenders who are comfortable with the scheme instead of finding out the hard way.
How much less can I borrow because of the repayment?
It depends on the lender and on the rest of your circumstances, so there is no single figure — but it is a real effect and it is better known early. We can run the numbers before you start viewing, so the budget in your head is the budget a lender would agree to.
Can I use it with a new build?
Often, yes, and it can sit alongside a developer scheme such as Own New. Whether the two combine sensibly depends on the builder, the lender and the numbers, and it is worth an appointment rather than a guess.
Where can I read more?
We wrote a longer guide to the scheme: Forces Help to Buy — your guide. For the official rules and the application itself, go through JPA or your unit.
Find out what it means for your budget.
Fifteen minutes on the phone will tell you what you could borrow with the loan behind you, and what it costs you in affordability. It is free, and there is no obligation at any point.