How Sophie escaped London's rental trap to buy her first home

Where have you bought and how much for?

In Petworth, West Sussex, for £295,000.

Describe your living situation before you found Tembo.  

I lived in London in a rented flat, but then during the lockdown I decided to leave London and moved in with my Mum in West Sussex. I hadn’t really been seriously considering buying whilst I was in London. When I moved to Sussex I started to have a look around, but the prices were still too high for me for what I was looking for.  I then heard about Tembo and that kick-started the conversation with my parents and I started to have a better idea of what I could actually afford with their support.

Can you describe the hardest part of getting on the property ladder? 

I changed career a few years ago so took a pay cut as in effect I started in a more junior job.  So that meant I almost went backwards a little bit in terms of where I could get to with my property purchase.  It was also really hard to save for a deposit whilst also paying rent in London. 

How did you find Tembo? 

I got referred through a friend of my sisters who’d heard about Tembo.

Tell us about your experience of using Tembo to get your mortgage. 

I felt quite intimidated by mortgages at first. Tembo were great for keeping things simple and were always very patient with me and my family.  It took a while as we wanted to consider it carefully and there were a few properties that I missed out on getting.  But we just felt so confident that Tembo were considering what was best for the family.  I got a Deposit Boost, with some money unlocked from my parent's property which was used to go towards my deposit.  Tembo also arranged my first-time buyer mortgage.

What was it like working with your assigned broker and customer success lead?

Our Tembo advisor was friendly and patient and was always happy to get on a call with my parents or with me if there was an issue.

What’s your favourite thing about your new home?

I love the location - it is absolutely perfect for me.

What does homeownership mean to you?  

Having my own space.

Describe your experience using Tembo in three words. 

Simple.  Friendly.  Trustworthy.  I’m just so grateful - thank you