Big take-up for Skipton BS Delayed Start range

February 2, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill

Lenders

Skipton Building Society is reporting that there has been a big take-up for its Delayed Start product range, with more than £200 million worth of applications.

The building society launched this range in spring 2025. The loans are available solely to people buying for the first time and allow them to delay the start of repayments for a three-month period. The idea behind it is to provide first-time buyers with time to adjust to the expense of buying a home.

So far the evidence is that the target market is responding enthusiastically. The £200 million worth of applications means that roughly 1,500 first-time buyers have chosen a Delayed Start mortgage. Out of that number, 700 have since moved into their new homes.

When looked at from a regional perspective, the areas that have seen the highest take-up are Scotland, the East Midlands, the East of England, the North West and the South East.

The proposition and products head for Skipton BS is Jen Lloyd. She told Mortgage Solutions that the lender felt the product met the needs of new buyers’ who face both mortgage and rent payments at first, adding:

“That was the thought behind the product and bringing it to market, but it has surpassed our expectations in terms of the popularity of it, and that’s why we are thinking about how we can further build on the success that it’s seen and how can we keep iterating?”

There are advisors who have done CeMAP classes in the North West who will recommend this product to their first-time buyer clients.