Best Building Society
One of the UK's largest building societies with competitive mortgage rates. Strong first-time buyer focus and 95% LTV options. Member-owned.
Yorkshire Building Society is a mutual with a long-standing presence in the first-time buyer market and a reputation for taking a considered view of applications.
Like most building societies, it can apply judgement where a large bank applies a rule, which occasionally matters a great deal.
Who it suits. First-time buyers and borrowers who want a lender that will look at the circumstances rather than only the score, particularly those with smaller deposits.
Worth knowing. YBS has periodically offered products aimed specifically at buyers with very small deposits, which are worth investigating if the deposit is the binding constraint. As always, the smaller the deposit, the higher the rate band — our guide to first-time buyer mortgages explains how those bands work.