Help to Buy

What is it?

The government has created the Help to Buy scheme to help first time buyers take their first steps on to the property ladder, or to help existing home owners move up the ladder.

There are a number of options available to help get you moving;

Help to Buy: ISA

If you are saving to buy your first home, then use a Help to Buy ISA. If you do this, you will benefit from the government boosting your savings by 25%. So as an example, for every £200 you save you will receive a government bonus of £50. The maximum government bonus you can receive is £3000.

Help to Buy: Equity Loan

With a Help to Buy: Equity Loan, the government will lend you up to 20% of the cost of buying your new build home, so by saving a 5% cash deposit yourself you will then only need take out a 75% loan to value mortgage to make up the rest. You won’t be charged loan fees on the 20% loan for the first 5 years of owning your new home*. For more information on this you can access the Help to Buy Guide on the governments website.

London Help to Buy Scheme

To reflect the property prices in London, from February 2016 the government increased the Help to Buy: Equity Loan schemes upper limit from the standard 20% to 40%. This is applicable to all buyers looking to buy a home in all London boroughs. For more information on this scheme visit our Help to Buy London page.

For more information, speak to one of our Countrywide Mortgage Consultants who will be happy to discuss the different options with you and go through your application in more detail.

*Help to Buy: Equity Loan

Unlike the mortgage amount borrowed, the Government’s loan is an equity loan so will rise and fall in line with the property’s value changing.  The loan is interest free for 5 years.  After 5 years the loan will be subject to an annual charge of 1.75% that will rise each year by the Retail Price Index plus 1%. The outstanding loan will need to be repaid upon sale of the property.

Terms & Conditions apply.  Mortgage availability depends upon your circumstances.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

A fee will be payable for arranging your mortgage. Your Mortgage Consultant will confirm the amount before you choose to proceed.

Countrywide Mortgage Services, Countrywide House, 88-103 Caldecotte Lake Drive, Caldecotte, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 8JT