Help to Buy

Help to Buy

First Time Buyer? Help to Buy could get you moving with just a 5% deposit.

What's Available?

What is Help to Buy?

The government-backed Help to Buy: Equity Loan applications have now closed. With Shared Ownership still available, you still have a more affordable option to own your dream home.

If you’re a first-time buyer, we have some great news. Help to Buy means your dream home is closer than you think. But what is it?

It is designed to help first-time buyers purchase a newly-built home. Under this scheme, all you need is a 5% deposit and you can borrow 20% of the purchase price interest-free for the first five years*. With Help to Buy Equity Loan ending on 31st March 2023, make sure to reserve your new home by 31st October 2022 and only choose a home which will be built and ready to live in by 31st December 2022, to give your solicitors enough time to legally complete by the end of March 2023. Visit our Help to Buy blog to learn more about the scheme. 

Help-to-Buy offers a number of options to get you moving:

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Equity Loan: First Time Buyers

The Help-to-Buy Equity Loan gives First Time Buyers a lift on to the property ladder by making the purchase more affordable. Under this scheme the Government will lend you 20% of the purchase price interest-free for the first five years. You then only need a 5% cash deposit and a 75% loan-to-value mortgage to make up the rest. With a larger deposit, you then have access to more attractive mortgage rates than on a higher loan-to-value mortgage of 80-90%.

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Equity Loan: London

If you're looking to move to London, the London Help-to-Buy Equity Loan scheme helps First Time Buyers with a 40% Government loan due to higher house prices. Under this scheme, the Government will lend you 40% of the purchase price interest-free for the first five years. You still only need a 5% cash deposit and then a 55% loan-to-value mortgage to make up the rest.

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Shared Ownership

If you can't afford a 100% mortgage on your own then shared ownership allows you to buy a share of your home (between 25-75% of the property value) and then pay rent on the remaining share. You can then choose to buy more shares later on to increase your ownership when you can afford to.

Stamp Duty Update

Stamp Duty Update

Fantastic news for property buyers! The recent stamp duty changes may mean your deposit is even more affordable!

*YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT.

Credit is secured against your home. *Subject to status, Help to Buy Terms & Conditions and available on selected properties in England only. Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan up to a maximum of 20% of the purchase price (based on the open market value). Applicants are required to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings/deposit where required. The equity loan is provided by Homes England and held as a second charge. This offer is not available in conjunction with any other promotion. Full details will be provided on request.

* The Help-to-Buy Equity Loan scheme does have applicable terms and conditions which must be met to be eligible.

  • Available for new builds only with a value of up to £600,000 in England.
  • The Government loan is interest-free for the first 5 years. In the 6th year, you'll be charged a fee of 1.75% of the loan's value. The fee will then increase every year by the Retail Prices Index plus 1%.
  • The 20% loan can be repaid at any time within the term of the mortgage, or on sale of the property.