Help to Buy sees £1 billion of new loans and supports 6,000 applicants in 3 months
In just 12 weeks, nearly 750 homeowners have completed their purchases and hundreds were able to spend Christmas in their new homes.
David Cameron meets Sharon Ray who has finally been able to purchase her own home with the Help to Buy scheme.
Less than 3 months on from the start of the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, over 6,000 people have put in offers on a home and applied for a mortgage, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today (2 January).
Could you benefit from Help to Buy in 2014? Find out here.
Nearly £1 billion of new lending
In November, ministers published figures showing that in the first month of the scheme more than 2,000 people had put in offers on homes and applied for a Help to Buy mortgage. That number has now trebled to more than 6,000.
The mortgages, once approved, would represent nearly £1 billion of new lending to aspiring home owners who may have previously found the property market out-of-reach because of the size of deposit required.
As part of the long-term economic plan to build a stronger, more competitive economy to secure a better future for Britain, the government is committed to increasing the supply of housing and supporting those who aspire to own their own home.
In just 12 weeks since the scheme launched, nearly 750 homeowners have completed their purchases and hundreds were able to spend Christmas in their new homes.
New Help to Buy products
Barclays and Santander will introduce their own Help to Buy products onto the market this month (January), joining Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, HSBC, Virgin Money and Aldermore who have all launched products over the last 3 months, providing a wide range of options for first time buyers and other potential applicants in 2014.
The expansion will mean two-thirds of the entire UK mortgage market will offer products under the Help to Buy scheme, bringing home ownership to a growing number of people.
New figures also show that an additional 20,000 households have also been supported by the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme, a separate scheme where the government provides an interest-free loan to support the purchase of the newly built home.
House building is now growing at its fastest rate since 2008, and it is clear house building will remain a critical part of our economic recovery.
Help to Buy: facts and figures
The new figures on the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme show:
- Help to Buy continues to support responsible lending; on average households are looking to buy homes worth £160,000 which remains below the UK average house price of £247,000
- applicants will face average monthly repayments of around £900 and have an annual household income of around £45,000; this means a Help to Buy mortgage represents 23 per cent of borrowers’ gross income
- Help to Buy mortgage applications are still coming in from across the country, and around three-quarters are from outside London and the South East, and over 80 per cent are from first time buyers
The large number of applications for Help to Buy mortgages suggests the high Loan-To-Value part of the mortgage market is once again moving. High Loan-To-Value mortgages have been the main route to ownership for most first time buyers over the last 30 years, but there have been fewer products available in recent years.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
The New Year is often a time when people look to make those big life-changing decisions like moving home or taking that first step on the housing ladder.
But too many people have found themselves frozen out of the market in recent years as a result of the size of the deposit required.
That is why as part of our long-term economic plan we introduced the Help to Buy scheme, so hardworking people with sufficient earnings can get on, fulfil their aspirations and enjoy the security of owning their own home.
In less than 3 months, the scheme has already helped thousands of people.
I want to see that continue in 2014 and for Help to Buy to help thousands more realise their dream of home ownership.
People who have benefited from Help to Buy
Daniel Fuller - Sheffield
Daniel Fuller and his partner have a young family with two children, boy and girl twins, aged 1. They are first time buyers and moved into their new home in Halfway, Sheffield, at the start of December. The early launch of Help To Buy meant they were able to afford a house now as opposed to waiting until mid-2014. Daniel said:
The help to buy scheme has given us the opportunity to get onto the property ladder. Without this we would have still been renting and buying wouldn’t have been possible, due to the large deposits. It was great to enjoy Christmas as a family in our own home.
Michael Williamson - Stafford
Michael Williamson (34), his wife and 3 year old daughter are first time buyers and moved into their new home in Staffordshire in the middle of December. Help to Buy allowed them to afford a house with a garden at a reasonable interest rate. Michael works for a loss adjustor and said:
Renting a house and paying all the bills came to over 75% of my wage per month so saving for a deposit of 10% or even 20% was impossible. I wanted a more traditional house with a decent driveway, garden and some character. The new Help To Buy scheme was perfect for me because I could purchase a house with a much lower deposit 5% and the mortgage fees were much less. The amount I am paying for the new house will be less than I was paying in the rented accommodation.
Lewis Williams - Wales
Lewis Williams is a fireman. Initially he and his family were renting a property, but Help to Buy meant they were able to buy sooner they as didn’t have to save for a bigger deposit. Lewis is a first time buyer and said:
Help to Buy has been a massive help. We were in a position where we could afford mortgage repayments, but were struggling saving the substantial deposit. We didn’t think we would own our own home for a long time, but the scheme has helped us to buy within months.
Jade Green - Lancaster
Jade Green, Ian, her partner, and Rhys, her 6 year old son, have been saving for about 2 years. They had seen the house some time ago but didn’t have the 10% ready. Help to Buy meant they were able to purchase a property after all. Jade, a first time buyer, said:
After a hard few years saving, our dream property came onto the market, we viewed it, fell in love with it, then had to come to terms with the fact that we couldn’t raise enough money for a deposit on a mortgage. Just when we had given up hope, help to buy became available, which was a miracle for us, it made it possible for us to afford the mortgage deposit. Only one week after our first viewing, we put in an offer, which was accepted and 5 weeks later we moved in. Myself, my partner and our son now own our first family home and we love it. Help to Buy has been a miracle for us.
Could you benefit from Help to Buy in 2014? Find out here.