Monday June 8th 2026
Written by Glasgow View Editor, Phil Bowen
The first round of applications for the SNP’s first-time buyers’ scheme, which will support buyers with up to £10,000 towards a deposit, will open by the end of June.
The new First Homes Fund will be open to all prospective owners looking to make their first step onto the property ladder, with a value limit of £300,000 on the property purchased.
Under the scheme, the Scottish Government will provide up to £10,000 towards the cost of buying a home. In return, it will take a small equity stake in the property.
This means buyers will fully own their home and won’t need to make any monthly repayments or pay interest on the support. The Government’s share is normally repaid when the home is sold.
It is expected the first phase of the fund will support 2,000 households over the first 100 days of the new SNP Government and 50,000 by the end of this Parliamentary term.
Calum Kerr, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency, said:
“Too many people across Midlothian, especially younger people, are struggling to buy their first home. People are saving where they can, but are finding it difficult to save enough for a deposit.
“That’s exactly why we are getting on with delivering this landmark policy, which will support people onto the property ladder with up to £10,000 towards a deposit, without adding extra monthly costs or interest.
“During the election we said we would support first-time buyers, and now we are delivering – that’s what you get from John Swinney’s trusted and reliable leadership that is firmly on Scotland’s side.
“I would encourage everyone eligible for this support to apply when applications open in June.”
However, Miles Briggs, Conservative MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, said to Midlothian View:
“This loan is a clever piece of PR by a government that has been punishing homeowners for twenty years.
“The SNP have consistently exacerbated the housing crisis by raising taxes, dreaming up red-tape regulation, and missing their own house-building targets.
“Instead of handing out loans, ministers should scrap Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, Scotland’s Stamp Duty, for first time buyers. This is a punitive tax on just those people the SNP is claiming to support.
“Midlothian’s aspiring homeowners will not be fooled by the SNP’s latest stunt, which does nothing to address the fundamental problems in Scotland’s housing market.”
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