Foundation Home Loans supports first-time buyer and first-time landlord with £660k 7-bed HMO purchase

12 August 2025

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has completed a complex HMO mortgage case for a client purchasing their first property - a licensed 7-bedroom HMO in Bristol - despite being both a first-time buyer and first-time landlord.

The property was purchased for £660,000 with a 75% loan-to-value mortgage arranged through one of Foundation Home Loans’ specialist HMO products. The client, a high-earning London-based legal professional, is currently renting and was seeking to begin building a property portfolio as a long-term investment strategy.

This case posed a clear challenge under standard lending criteria, with most lenders unable to consider applicants who are both first-time buyers and first-time landlords, particularly where the property is a licensed HMO. However, Foundation Home Loans was able to consider the application based on its full merits.

Despite the lack of property ownership history, the client had a clean credit profile, a strong financial standing, and a clear and credible management plan for the HMO. The broker submitted the case knowing that Foundation Home Loans takes a flexible, case-by-case approach to complex scenarios.

The specialist lender continues to provide a range of mortgage options for landlords with complex or non-standard requirements - including multi-occupancy properties, limited company borrowing, and first-time landlords.

Grant Hendry, Director of Sales at Foundation Home Loans, commented:

“This is a perfect example of how we work with brokers to find solutions for cases that fall outside standard criteria. Such a case would often be declined outright based on the client being both a first-time buyer and landlord. Fortunately, we had worked with the broker before and they trusted us to assess the case on its full merits, rather than being restricted by headline criteria alone or dismissing it at first glance.”

“The client’s strong financial position, clean credit history and well-structured management plan allowed us to offer a suitable solution through one of our specialist HMO products. And that’s the beauty of specialist lending, its understanding the individual, not just working through a checklist. It’s about being positioned to support creditworthy, capable borrowers in a responsible manner.”

For more information on Foundation Home Loans, please visit: www.foundationforintermediaries.co.uk