First Homes England
We’re pleased to announce that we now support First Homes – a government run scheme in England designed to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder with discounted housing prices.
How does it work?
Your clients could get discounts on the price of a qualifying property of between 30% and 50% (compared to the market price) if they’re eligible for the First Homes scheme.
They’ll need to have at least 5% of the discounted price available to put down as a deposit, and a mortgage in place for a minimum of 50% of the discounted price.
Who is eligible?
National criteria (everyone must meet this):
- all applicants must be first time buyers their household income must not exceed £80,000 (or £90,000 in Greater London)
- they will need to have a mortgage (or home purchase plan) in place for a minimum of 50% of the discounted purchase value.
Local authorities can also apply their own criteria:
- the authority may set a lower income cap if they can provide evidence that it’s needed
- they might apply a local connection test based on residency, employment in the local area, family connections or special circumstances, such as caring responsibilities (serving members of the armed forces and their families, families of deceased members of the armed forces, or veterans within 5 years of leaving the armed forces, will be exempt from local connection tests)
- and they might want to prioritise key workers (as defined by the local authority) for the scheme.
If your clients are eligible for the First Homes scheme, then we may have a suitable mortgage in our range for them. And as always, we’re here to answer your questions.
For more information on First Homes England, please visit OwnYourHome.gov.uk
You can view our product range here
