{"id":3674,"date":"2026-08-23T22:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T12:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chipkie.com\/uk\/?p=3674"},"modified":"2026-08-23T22:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T12:42:12","slug":"gifted-deposit-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chipkie.com\/uk\/2026\/08\/23\/gifted-deposit-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"Gifted Deposit Letter: What Lenders Need in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

By The Chipkie Team<\/strong>, Personal Finance Editorial Team  \u00b7  Last updated 18 August 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

If a parent, grandparent or friend is helping you buy a home this year, your lender will almost certainly ask for a gifted deposit letter before it releases a single penny. It is a short document, often no more than a page, but it carries real legal weight: it confirms the money is a genuine gift, that the giver keeps no stake in the property, and that nothing has to be repaid. Get it wrong and your completion date slips. Misrepresent it deliberately, and you have committed mortgage fraud.<\/p>\n

With around half of first-time buyers now receiving family help toward a purchase, conveyancers and underwriters treat these documents as routine \u2014 but they scrutinise them far more closely than most buyers expect.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n