For Arron Humberston, 25, buying a first home wasn’t just a personal milestone, it was the next step for his growing family. With the help of his OneFamily Lifetime ISA, Arron saved up a £20,000 deposit, boosted by around £7,000 from the government bonus and investment growth.
Now settled in Leicester with his fiancée Shannon, their six‑year‑old son Braylen, their cocker spaniel Milo, and having recently welcomed their new baby, Arlen, getting the keys last year marked an important milestone for the family.
How I got an extra £7,000 towards my first home
Arron Humberston - Lifetime ISA customer
We picked up the keys in March last year and it still feels surreal to call it ours. It’s a three‑bed semi‑detached house with a driveway and a lovely garden, exactly the kind of place we hoped for.
I first heard about lifetime ISAs when I was 18. I’d come into some inheritance when I was younger and as I got older my stepdad encouraged me to think more seriously about saving. When he explained how the lifetime ISA worked, especially the 25% bonus, it felt like a lightbulb moment. It really did seem like free money and it made getting onto the property ladder feel possible.
In my first year, I paid in a lump sum to hit the £4,000 limit. I then tried to max out my allowance a few times over the years to make the most of the bonus. The extra 25% makes such a difference, I don’t think you can get anything close to that with other savings accounts.
I saved just over £13,000 into my lifetime ISA, and the government bonus added more than £3,000. Because my LISA was invested in stocks and shares, it also grew in value. By the time we were ready to buy, my account had reached just over £20,000, giving me around £7,000 extra overall between the bonus and investment growth. That boost meant we could afford our deposit and buy our house much sooner than we imagined.
When you’re young and trying to save, that extra help is massive. One of my friends is saving for his first place now and I’ve recommended taking out a lifetime ISA as it will really help him.
My fiancée Shannon was renting a flat, so most of her income went straight on rent and bills, which made saving difficult. I was still living at home and my mum was brilliant, she let me stay rent‑free so I could save. I know how lucky I was and being at home longer helped me stay focused on building up the deposit.
For years it felt like I was struggling to save, and then about six months before we moved, something just clicked. I saved more than I ever had. I realised how important buying this house really was, and that everything else, nights out, a new car, could wait. Now that we’re living here, every sacrifice feels worth it.
Our next focus is building an emergency fund. As new homeowners, we want a bit of a safety net for when things inevitably crop up, a broken boiler, house repairs, anything like that. We just want some financial security for a rainy day.
We’re also thinking about saving for our children. Now our youngest, Arlen, has been born my mum wants to open savings for both our boys. It feels good to be planning ahead for them now that we finally have a home of our own.
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*OneFamily’s Lifetime ISA invests in stocks and shares. This means your money has good potential to grow, but the value of your investments could go down as well as up and you could get back less money than you've put in.
Open your OneFamily Lifetime ISA today
Grow your savings faster with a 25% government bonus every time you pay in. Invest in stocks and shares from just £25 a month or up to £4,000 a year to stay ahead of rising house prices.
