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Gen H (formerly Generation Home) is a fintech mortgage lender known for its income and deposit booster products, which let family or friends support your application without joining the property deeds. Here's an honest look at how they work, who they suit, and where you might find a better fit elsewhere.
Gen H, formerly known as Generation Home, is a Financial Conduct Authority regulated mortgage lender that's generally a good fit for buyers who need extra support to get approved, rather than those simply chasing the lowest rate. Our overall rating is 4.2 out of 5.
Gen H's standout features are its income booster and deposit booster products, which let a family member or friend support your application without appearing on the property deeds. Combined with flexible self-employed criteria and a welcoming approach to foreign nationals, this makes Gen H one of the more accessible lenders for buyers who don't fit a standard high-street application.
At lower loan-to-values, high-street lenders are usually still cheaper. Gen H only lends through mortgage brokers, so you'll need to work with an intermediary to access their products.
Generation Home mortgages, now provided under the Gen H brand, have built a reputation for helping buyers who struggle to get approved elsewhere. Their income and deposit booster products let family members or friends support your application without appearing on the property deeds, while recent criteria changes have opened doors for self-employed borrowers and those with smaller deposits.
But is Gen H right for you? In this review, we'll cover their products, fees, eligibility criteria, and who they're best suited for. We're a mortgage introducer, not a lender, so we'll give you an honest assessment of where Gen H excels and where you might find a better fit elsewhere.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
Best for:
Not ideal for:
Generation Home, commonly known as Gen H, is a UK fintech mortgage lender founded in 2019 by husband and wife duo Will Rice and Sophia Guy-White. The company was created to address what they saw as a broken housing market, where rising property prices had locked out thousands of potential homeowners.
Gen H is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and operates under the legal name Imagine Mortgages Limited. They're headquartered in London.
The company has attracted significant backing, including investment from Peter Thiel's Mithril Capital and Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, along with debt financing from Waterfall Asset Management and Barclays Corporate Banking to fund their mortgage lending.
What sets Gen H apart from traditional high-street lenders is their focus on innovative affordability solutions. Rather than simply applying rigid lending criteria, they've developed products specifically designed to help buyers who might otherwise be turned away.
If you're new to mortgages, understanding the basics will help you evaluate whether Gen H is right for you.
A mortgage is a loan secured against property. The lender places a legal charge on your home, which means they can repossess it if you don't keep up repayments. This security is why mortgage rates are typically lower than unsecured loans.
Loan-to-value (LTV) measures how much you're borrowing compared to the property's value. If you're buying a £300,000 home with a £30,000 deposit, you're borrowing £270,000, giving you a 90% LTV. Lower LTVs generally mean better rates because the lender takes less risk.
Loan-to-income (LTI) measures how much you're borrowing relative to your income. Most lenders cap this at 4.5 times your income, though some offer higher multiples in certain circumstances.
Fixed rate mortgages lock your interest rate for a set period, typically 2, 3, or 5 years. Your payments stay the same regardless of what happens to interest rates, which makes budgeting easier.
Variable rate mortgages can go up or down based on the lender's standard variable rate (SVR) or an external benchmark like the Bank of England base rate.
APR (Annual Percentage Rate) shows the true cost of borrowing, including fees. It's useful for comparing deals that have different fee structures.
Gen H offers mortgages for first-time buyers, home movers, and those looking to remortgage. But their real standout features are the affordability booster products that few other lenders currently match.
Gen H offers fixed rate mortgages with 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year terms at loan-to-value ratios from 60% to 95%. They accept capital and interest repayments, part and part (where you repay some interest-only), and interest-only in certain circumstances.
Their product fees range from £0 to £1,499, with lower fees typically paired with higher rates. Many products include a free standard valuation.
The income booster is Gen H's take on a joint borrower sole proprietor (JBSP) mortgage, but with a significant advantage.
A family member, such as a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or in some cases a friend, joins your mortgage to boost your borrowing power by adding their income to your application. The key difference from a traditional JBSP mortgage is Gen H's "ejector seat" feature.
With a standard JBSP mortgage, the term can't extend beyond the oldest applicant's 85th birthday. If your parent is 60 when you apply, you might be limited to a 25-year term. Gen H's ejector seat allows the income booster to leave the mortgage after a set period, enabling you to take a longer term based on your own age.
Example: Sarah, aged 28, earns £35,000 a year. Her dad, aged 62, joins as an income booster with his £45,000 income. Together, they can borrow based on the combined £80,000 income. Thanks to the ejector seat, Sarah can take a 35-year term even though her dad will be removed from the mortgage before it ends.
Income boosters can choose to contribute to monthly payments and build their own equity stake in the property through Gen H's dynamic ownership feature, or they can remain on standby, only stepping in if you can't make payments.
Who can be an income booster:
The ejector seat is what makes the income booster genuinely different from a standard joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage. Ask your advisor to model the term both with and without it, so you understand exactly how your payments could change once the booster is removed.
Not everyone has family with spare cash for a deposit gift. Gen H's deposit booster lets family or friends contribute to your deposit while protecting their investment.
The deposit booster can structure their contribution as:
The deposit booster agreement provides legal protection for everyone involved. Your booster doesn't need to be a UK resident, but their funds must come from a UK bank account.
When buying with a partner, friend, or family member, Gen H's dynamic ownership feature lets you track individual equity stakes that change over time based on who contributes what.
Traditional tenants in common arrangements fix your ownership percentages at the start. With dynamic ownership, if one person pays more towards the mortgage or makes a larger lump sum contribution, their ownership share automatically adjusts through Gen H's online dashboard.
This is backed by a legally binding home agreement that all buyers sign, giving protection without needing to go through solicitors every time your circumstances change.
For new build properties, Gen H offers a scheme where you bring a 5% deposit, take an 80% mortgage with Gen H, and receive a 15% interest-free equity loan to bridge the gap.
The boost is interest-free for the life of the loan and has no recurring management fees. For the first five years, the value is frozen even if property prices rise, so if you repay within this period, you only pay back the original amount.
After five years, the boost converts to a percentage of your property's value, updated quarterly through valuations.
Gen H's rates are competitive, particularly at higher loan-to-value ratios where they're specifically trying to help borrowers with smaller deposits.
Rates change frequently, so we won't list specific figures that could quickly become outdated. But here's how to think about Gen H's pricing.
Gen H offers products at different fee levels:
For existing customers coming to the end of their fixed term, Gen H waives the arrangement fee entirely on retention products.
At lower LTVs (60-75%), Gen H's rates are typically slightly higher than the most competitive high-street lenders. This makes sense, because their target market is buyers who might not qualify elsewhere.
At higher LTVs (85-95%), Gen H becomes more competitive. Their willingness to lend with smaller deposits, combined with their booster products, means they're often a strong option for first-time buyers stretching to get on the ladder.
Like most lenders, Gen H's standard variable rate (SVR) is higher than their fixed rates. This is what you'd move to if your fixed rate ends and you don't remortgage. It's worth securing a new deal before your fixed period ends to avoid paying this higher rate.
Don't judge a lender purely on its headline rate. Gen H's fee levels vary alongside its rates, so ask your advisor to compare the total cost over your fixed term, not just the interest rate, especially if you're planning to remortgage again in a few years.
Understanding all the costs involved helps you compare the true cost of borrowing.
Many Gen H products include a free standard valuation. Where a fee is charged, it varies according to the property's value.
Gen H's tariff of charges follows industry standard practice, making it easier to compare with other lenders. They don't charge some fees that other lenders do, such as an exit fee when you move to another lender at the end of your fixed term.
Gen H has built its criteria around helping buyers who might struggle elsewhere, while still maintaining responsible lending standards.
Gen H accepts income from various sources:
Employment income: PAYE salary, regular overtime, bonus, and commission are all considered. They'll typically use your basic salary plus an average of variable income.
Self-employed income: Gen H recently improved its self-employed criteria, now allowing borrowing up to 5.5 times income. They'll accept the latest year's accounts if income is increasing, or an average of the last two years.
Benefit income: certain benefits are accepted, including child benefit and tax credits, subject to assessment.
Pension income: accepted for older borrowers, with Gen H being particularly flexible about lending to retirees.
Gen H has adjusted its loan-to-income policies to help more buyers:
Gen H is more flexible than many lenders on age:
Gen H has recently improved its approach to credit issues:
That said, they still maintain standards. Serious adverse credit, like recent defaults or unsatisfied debts, may limit your options. If you're worried about your finances more generally, free and impartial guidance is available from MoneyHelper at moneyhelper.org.uk or by calling 0800 138 7777.
Gen H accepts:
Some restrictions apply to non-standard construction, very short lease properties, and certain locations.
Gen H has one of the more welcoming policies for foreign nationals:
If you're self-employed with only one year of accounts, don't assume you'll be declined. Gen H is one of a small number of lenders that will consider your latest year in isolation if it's higher than your average, which can make a real difference to how much you can borrow.
Self-employed or smaller deposit?
Speak to an advisor about your income, deposit, and credit history. We'll explain whether Gen H or another lender from our panel is the better fit.
Gen H only operates through mortgage brokers, so you can't apply directly with them. This means working with an intermediary like us who can access their products on your behalf.
Gen H publishes real-time service levels on its intermediary website. Typical timelines are:
These compare favourably with many high-street lenders, and are often faster for complex cases where high-street underwriters might need longer to assess unusual circumstances.
The process
Initial conversation
We'll discuss your circumstances, income, deposit, and what you're looking to achieve. If Gen H seems like a good fit, we'll explain their products and how they might help.
Decision in principle
We'll submit basic information to Gen H's system to get an initial decision. This uses a soft credit search that won't affect your credit score.
Full application
Once you've found a property or are ready to proceed, we submit a full application with all supporting documents.
Document upload
Gen H uses AI-powered packaging tools that automatically categorise documents, which makes this step faster than with many lenders.
Underwriting
A Gen H underwriter reviews your application. Brokers can speak directly with underwriters about complex cases, rather than going through call centre staff.
Valuation
Gen H instructs a valuation on the property to confirm its value and condition.
Mortgage offer
If everything checks out, you'll receive a formal mortgage offer setting out the terms of your loan.
Innovative affordability solutions: the income booster, deposit booster, and dynamic ownership features are genuinely unique. Few other lenders offer this level of support for buyers who need help from family or friends.
Flexible criteria: Gen H accepts applications that high-street lenders might decline. Their approach to self-employment, foreign nationals, and credit history is notably more understanding.
Direct underwriter access: brokers can discuss cases directly with the underwriters making decisions, so complex situations get proper consideration rather than an automatic decline.
Technology-led process: their online systems, AI document processing, and real-time service levels make for a smoother application experience.
Competitive at higher LTVs: if you have a smaller deposit, Gen H's rates and willingness to lend make them a strong option.
Comprehensive homebuying service: Gen H Legal offers conveyancing alongside the mortgage, with discounts for combining services.
Not the cheapest at lower LTVs: if you have a 25%+ deposit and straightforward circumstances, you'll likely find cheaper rates elsewhere.
Broker-only: you can't apply direct, which some people prefer, though working with a broker means you get advice and someone managing the process.
Newer lender: Gen H doesn't have decades of trading history like Nationwide or Halifax. Some buyers prefer the reassurance of established names.
Booster complexity: while the booster products are powerful, they involve family members in your mortgage, which isn't suitable for everyone.
Standard variable rate: like many lenders, their SVR is relatively high, so you'll want to remortgage before your fixed period ends.
Skipton offers its Track Record mortgage for renters without a traditional deposit. Gen H's approach is different, using family support rather than rental payment history. If you have family able to help, Gen H offers more flexibility. If you're genuinely on your own, Skipton might be worth exploring.
Halifax is one of the UK's largest mortgage lenders with competitive rates, especially at lower LTVs. For straightforward applications with a decent deposit, Halifax often wins on price. But Halifax's criteria are more rigid. If you're self-employed with one year's accounts, or have a minor credit blip, Gen H's more flexible approach may be your only option.
Nationwide has a strong reputation and competitive pricing. It also offers Helping Hand mortgages for first-time buyers. For standard applications, Nationwide often provides better rates. Gen H wins when you need the income or deposit booster products that Nationwide doesn't offer.
If you have serious credit issues, dedicated adverse credit lenders like Pepper Money or Kensington might accept applications that Gen H wouldn't. But their rates are significantly higher. Gen H occupies a middle ground: more flexible than high-street lenders, but cheaper than true specialist lenders.
A quick comparison could save you money over the life of your mortgage.
Gen H has built a strong reputation since launching, with consistently positive feedback across review platforms.
Gen H holds an "Excellent" rating on Trustpilot, based on over 740 reviews. The most common themes in positive reviews are:
The minority of negative reviews tend to mention:
Gen H has won various industry awards for innovation and has been featured in major publications including Bloomberg, The Times, and the Yorkshire Post. They've partnered with major networks including Legal & General Mortgage Club, PRIMIS, TMA Club, and Simply Biz.
Whether Gen H is a good match depends on your circumstances more than most lenders, because their products are built around specific situations.
A good fit
Worth checking first
You have a large deposit and simple circumstances
High-street lenders will likely offer cheaper rates for straightforward applications at 75% LTV or below.
You want to deal directly with your lender
Gen H only operates through brokers, so if you prefer managing everything yourself, you'll need to look elsewhere.
You have serious adverse credit
While Gen H is flexible, they're not a specialist adverse credit lender. Recent defaults or unmanaged debt may still cause problems.
You don't want family involvement
If you want a mortgage that's purely your own with no family connection, the booster products won't appeal.
We connect you with specialist mortgage brokers who can help you access Gen H alongside a wide range of other lenders to find the option that suits your circumstances.
Access to Gen H and a wide range of other lenders. We'll connect you with advisors who can compare Gen H against other options, so you can be confident it's genuinely a good fit.
Expert guidance. We'll connect you with specialists who can explain whether the income booster, deposit booster, or standard products are right for you.
Application support. Our partners manage the process from initial enquiry through to completion.
Our advisors are available Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and Saturday, 9am to 5pm, if you'd rather talk things through.
Get started
Common questions
Yes. Gen H is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. They operate under the legal name Imagine Mortgages Limited and are a fully regulated UK mortgage lender.
Gen H was founded in 2019 and began lending to customers in 2020. While newer than high-street lenders, they've now been operating for several years and have helped thousands of customers.
No. Gen H only accepts applications through mortgage brokers. This means you'll need to work with an intermediary to access their products.
Yes. Gen H performs credit checks as part of its assessment. Initial decisions in principle use soft searches that don't affect your credit score. Full applications involve hard credit checks that appear on your credit file.
Gen H offers mortgages up to 95% LTV, so the minimum deposit is 5% of the property value.
Yes. Gen H allows overpayments, though there may be limits during your fixed rate period. Overpaying more than the allowed amount can trigger early repayment charges.
You'll move to Gen H's standard variable rate unless you take a new product. Gen H waives arrangement fees for existing customers who stay with them, which makes it worthwhile securing a new deal in good time.
Yes. Gen H allows porting, which means you can transfer your existing mortgage to a new property, subject to meeting their criteria at the time.
No. Gen H focuses on residential mortgages for people living in the property. If you need a buy-to-let mortgage, you'll need to look at other lenders.
Typical timelines are 2-4 weeks from full application to mortgage offer, though this varies based on complexity and how quickly documents are provided.
Standard requirements include proof of identity, proof of address, payslips or accounts for self-employed applicants, bank statements, and details of any income boosters. Your advisor will confirm the full list based on your circumstances.
Yes, but only for mortgages up to 80% LTV. Family members can be income boosters up to 95% LTV.
No. Income boosters are named on the mortgage but don't appear on the property ownership. This is one of the key advantages of the product.
The ejector seat is Gen H's feature that allows income boosters to leave the mortgage after a set period. This means your mortgage term isn't limited by the booster's age, giving you access to a longer term with lower monthly payments.
Yes. Gen H accepts remortgage applications from customers with other lenders, as well as helping existing customers secure new deals.
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