edjames

Some higher percentage loans have re-emerged on the marketplace, with up to 90% loan theoretically possible. In other words, you would be required to put down £10,000 on a £100,000 purchase. As with all mortgages, your creditworthiness and income will also play a part.

Bigger percentages are available if you go for a 'shared ownership' property, where you buy a percentage of the property from a housing association, and rent the remainder - when you move on, you are entitled to your percentage of the sale price. And guarantor mortgages, where another person guarantees to pay the loan if you fail to do so, will also give a higher percentage.

However, it is in my view sensible to try for a larger deposit, because you will normally get a better deal (lower rates) if you can put down more - the greater the deposit, the greater is your choice of product costs and features (because there is more competition) and if you can I would try to save 15% or even 20% or more. Furthermore (an important point, this) the greater your deposit, the greater will be your security if house prices tumble, and of course the lower will be your monthly payments.

Other major costs you will have to meet include legal fees and disbursements (money paid by the lawyer to do various searches on your behalf), property valuation or survey (a survey or homebuyer's report costs more than the simple valuation, which is what the lender requires, but the fuller report will cost you more). Stamp Duty - a tax on property purchases - is zero for properties costing up to £250,000 for first-time buyers, with this special rate applying to first time buyers until March 2012. If your new purchase is more than this then Stamp Duty will be payable on the whole amount at 3% or above on the entire price. A house costing £250,000 would give rise to zero Stamp Duty, a house costing just £1 more would give rise to a £7,500 Stamp Duty!

So how much do you need, on top of the deposit? Probably not very much on a modest first-time purchase, especially if you carry out the removal yourself and if the lender allows certain of their fees to be added to the loan (which they often do allow, even if these fees take the loan above the percentage deposit figure). I would suggest £3000 to £5000, to allow for unexpected costs and perhaps a few sticks of furniture and some paint.

It is a really helpful thing to do for your children, because it gives them security and a good place to live, without being at the mercy of (sometimes) uncaring landlords. This kind of arrangement usually works out, although you need to consider what will happen to the property when the children move area. Will you, for example, continue to rent it out to students? This can be lucrative, but can also cause additional cost. You may be able to safeguard yourself by renting direct to the university housing department, in which case your rental income will be lower but secure, and the property will be maintained by them.

On the other hand, if you intend selling the property after, say, three years, then you would have to be prepared to take a loss if house prices have fallen.

So, the main reason for doing this is to help the children - and in my book that is an excellent justification; you may make some money, too, but if your main aim is housing investment, then renting to your children (or letting them live in it free) is not so good; after all you would be very unlikely to evict them if they did not pay the rent!

You might run up against some mortgage issues, here. If you buy the property on your savings, or by increasing your own residential mortgage, there will be no problem. However, if you go for a by-to-let mortgage do bear in mind that lenders usually do not permit relatives to occupy your rental property.