Gifted Deposit Letter Template (UK): Free Generator & PDF

If your solicitor or mortgage lender has just asked for a gifted deposit letter, here is the short version: it is a one-page letter from whoever is giving you the money, confirming four things — the money is a gift, not a loan; no repayment is expected; the giver will have no stake in the property and won't live in it; and the funds are their own.

Use the generator below. Fill in six fields and it writes the letter with every declaration lenders look for — then copy it, or print it straight to a PDF for your solicitor.

[Donor full name(s)]
[Donor address]

18 August 2026

To whom it may concern — mortgage lender and acting conveyancer

Re: Gifted deposit — purchase of [Property address, or “a property they are purchasing, address to be confirmed”]

I, [Donor full name(s)], confirm that i am gifting the sum of [Amount] to [Buyer full name(s)], my parent, towards the deposit for the purchase of [Property address, or “a property they are purchasing, address to be confirmed”].

I confirm the following:

1. The money is an unconditional and non-repayable gift. It is not a loan, and no repayment is expected or required in any form, now or in the future.
2. I will hold no legal or beneficial interest in the property as a result of this gift, and i will not be living at the property.
3. The funds are from my own resources. I am solvent, and the gift does not prejudice my financial position.
4. I understand the lender and conveyancer may require evidence of the source of these funds, and i will provide identification and bank statements on request.

Signed: _______________________     Date: _______________

[Donor full name(s)]

Key Takeaways

• The letter's job is to prove the deposit money is not a hidden loan. A loan would change your affordability sums and give a third party a claim on the property, so lenders need the giver to rule both out in writing.
• Four declarations do the work: unconditional gift, no repayment in any form, no legal or beneficial interest in the property, and — the one people forget — the giver will not be living there.
• Some lenders have their own form. If yours does, use theirs; the generated letter still covers your conveyancer, who usually wants one for the file regardless.
• The giver will be identity-checked. Anti-money-laundering rules mean the donor should expect to provide ID and bank statements showing where the money came from.
• Timing matters more than people expect — the letter is usually requested mid-application, and a missing occupancy or repayment line is a common reason it bounces back.

What a gifted deposit letter must include

Every UK lender's checklist wants the same substance, whatever the wording:

1. Who is giving what to whom. Full names of the giver and the buyer, the exact amount, and the relationship between them.
2. "This is an unconditional gift, not a loan." The core declaration. If any repayment is expected — even informally, even "when you can" — it is a loan, and it must be declared to the lender as one.
3. "I will hold no interest in the property." The giver confirms they gain no legal or beneficial share. Without this, the lender's security over the property is muddied.
4. "I will not be living at the property." Lenders ask because a resident gift-giver can acquire occupancy rights that complicate a repossession. Forgetting this line is the most common reason a letter is sent back.
5. Solvency and source of funds. The money is the giver's own, and gifting it does not make them insolvent — plus a line agreeing to provide ID and statements, which speeds up the checks that are coming anyway.
6. Signature and date. Some conveyancers also ask for a witness signature; there is space to add one.

The generator above includes all six. If your circumstances are unusual — the gift comes from abroad, from an inheritance not yet distributed, or from someone selling their own home to fund it — tell your solicitor early, because the source-of-funds checks take longer.

Do Nationwide, Halifax and other lenders accept this letter?

Most UK lenders accept any letter that carries the declarations above — but a few issue their own template and want theirs used. The honest per-lender picture:

Gifted deposit letter for Nationwide

Nationwide asks for confirmation of the gift in writing with the standard declarations, and your conveyancer will confirm whether the current application requires Nationwide's own gifted deposit form. Use the generated letter for your solicitor's file either way.

Gifted deposit letter for Halifax

Halifax (and Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and BM Solutions, its stablemates) generally works from the conveyancer's certification — meaning the letter goes to your solicitor, who confirms the gift to the lender. The declarations above are exactly what the solicitor needs to certify.

Gifted deposit letter for HSBC

HSBC commonly asks for its own gift declaration form during underwriting. If your broker sends you one, complete that — and keep the generated letter for the conveyancer.

Gifted deposit letter for Barclays, Santander and NatWest

All three accept a letter containing the standard declarations, requested either by the underwriter or the conveyancer. Santander is known for asking for the donor's bank statements early, so have those ready alongside the letter.

The pattern across every lender: the substance is identical; only the paperwork route differs. No lender objects to receiving a correct letter as well as their own form.

Who can gift a deposit — and what checks they face

Most lenders are happiest with close family — parents, grandparents and siblings clear every lender's rules. Gifts from more distant family or friends are accepted by many lenders but not all, so flag it to your broker before applying rather than after.

Whoever gives, the money-laundering checks are the same:

• Photo ID for the donor.
• Bank statements showing the gift money in the donor's account — and often where it arrived from, if it landed recently.
• For gifts from overseas, expect the checks to take longer and start earlier.

None of this is your solicitor being difficult. Conveyancers are legally required to establish the source of every pound in a purchase, and a prepared donor can save the transaction a fortnight.

Does a gifted deposit affect tax?

There is no tax on receiving the gift itself — the UK has no gift tax on the recipient. The one to know about is inheritance tax: if the giver dies within seven years of the gift, it can count back into their estate. Large gifts are worth a conversation with a financial adviser, and our guide to the seven-year rule explains how the taper works.

The gift can also change your numbers for the better: a bigger deposit can drop you into a lower loan-to-value band and a cheaper rate. Our mortgage affordability calculator shows what the gift does to your borrowing, and what salary you need to buy puts the whole picture together. If you are early in the process, how long a mortgage application takes tells you when the letter will actually be needed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a gifted deposit letter?

A short letter from the person giving you deposit money, confirming to your mortgage lender and solicitor that the money is an unconditional gift — not a loan — that no repayment is expected, that the giver will hold no interest in the property and will not live there, and that the funds are legitimately theirs.

Who writes the gifted deposit letter?

The person giving the money writes and signs it — not the buyer. If a couple is giving jointly, both sign. The buyer's job is only to pass it to the solicitor and lender.

Does a gifted deposit letter need to be witnessed or signed by a solicitor?

Usually a plain signature and date are enough for the lender. Some conveyancers ask for a witness signature on their version, and a few lenders use their own form with its own signing rules — your solicitor will say which applies.

Can the gift be from someone who isn't family?

Many lenders accept gifts from friends or distant relatives, but not all do, and some price differently for it. Tell your broker who the giver is before the application goes in.

Is a gifted deposit taxable?

Not for the person receiving it — there is no UK tax on receiving a gift. For the giver it can have inheritance tax consequences if they die within seven years, so large gifts are worth planning advice.

What if my deposit is partly gifted and partly saved?

That is normal and fine — the letter covers only the gifted portion. State the gifted amount exactly, and your own savings are evidenced separately through your bank statements.

You may also need a source of funds letter for the rest of your deposit — and every other letter and printable we have is in one place under Documents.

General information only, not financial advice. Speak to a suitably qualified, FCA-authorised professional before acting.