Help to Buy

Help to Buy is a government scheme that aims to help first time buyers, and those looking to move home, to purchase residential property.

The scheme means that you could move home with a deposit as low as 5%, whether you’re taking your first step onto the property ladder or moving up a rung.

There are three ways you can benefit from the Help to Buy scheme:

• Help to Buy ISA – if you are saving to buy your first home, save money into a Help to Buy ISA and the government will boost your savings by 25%. For every £200 you save, you will receive a government bonus of £50. The maximum government bonus  is £3,000.
• Shared ownership – if you can’t quite afford the mortgage on 100% of a home, shared ownership offers you the chance to buy a share of your home and pay rent on the remaining share. Later on, you could buy bigger shares when you can afford to.
• Equity loans – where the government lends first time buyers and existing homeowners’ money to buy a newly-built home