How does the Help to Buy: Equity Loan work?
• Only new build homes qualify.• You'll need a minimum of 5% deposit to qualify.
• It’s available to all home movers (not just first-time buyers) purchasing a single property who do not currently own a property in or outside of the UK.
• The Government will lend you up to 20% of the value of your new home through an equity loan, which can be repaid at any time within 25 years (or on the sale of your home, whichever is sooner).
• So you'll only need to secure up to 75% mortgage from a bank or building society.
• The equity loan is interest-free for the first five years.
• In London, the higher property costs are reflected by a 40% equity loan being offered, meaning you only need to secure a 55% mortgage.
• Maximum home purchase of £600,000 in England and £300,000 in Wales.
This all applies providing that the following conditions are met:
• The home you’re buying must be your only property.
• The home must be a newly built property.
• You won’t be eligible if you’ll own another property after completion.
• You won’t be able to sublet the home you’re buying, negating buy to let investing.
• You will not be able to part exchange your old home.
Existing homeowners can even use Help to Buy to upgrade to a bigger property, because the 5% deposit means it’s not a problem if you have limited equity in your current home.
How long will the Help to Buy scheme run for?
The current Help to Buy: Equity Loan arrangement will run until 2021. A new scheme has been confirmed to run from April 2021 until March 2023, but this will be restricted to first-time buyers only. The Government will continue to lend buyers up to 20% of the cost of a new build property (40% in London).
What are the regional property price caps?
There will be regional property price caps (shown below), with the new scheme. These aim to make sure the scheme is accessible to those who will gain the maximum benefit.
• North East - £186,100
• North West - £224,400
• Yorkshire and the Humber - £228,100
• East Midlands - £261,900
• West Midlands - £255,600
• East of England - £407,400
• London - £600,000
• South East - £437,600
• South West - £349,000
Source; HM Treasury
Everything you need to know about Help to Buy
Are Help to Buy and Part Exchange the same?
Help to Buy and Part Exchange aren’t the same. When you take out a Help to Buy: Equity loan, you won’t be able to sublet this home or pursue a Part Exchange deal on an old home.
Can you put more than a 5% deposit down for Help to Buy?
Yes, you can, although it’s always best to discuss this sort of thing with your financial advisor, to make sure that you settle upon the best mortgage plan for you.
Can I pay off the Help to Buy Equity Loan before the end of the first 5 years?
After purchase, you can elect to make voluntary part or full repayments at any time (based on market value). The lowest voluntary repayment is 10% of the current market value.
Does my new property need to be more expensive than my current property?
No. The only price restrictions are the maximum home purchase of £600,000 in England and £300,000 in Wales.
How does Help to Buy work with remortgaging?
You can remortgage your current mortgage, which is the conventional mortgage that you took out at the same time as the Help to Buy: Equity Loan. The way this is done is either by remortgaging the conventional mortgage and keeping the Help to Buy: Equity Loan, or by wiping out some/all of that equity loan. This latter option will usually result in a bigger conventional mortgage. All options for remortgaging will result in you having to pay an admin fee.
Is Help to Buy linked with Shared Ownership?
No. The entirety of your home is purchased and legally owned by you when you take out a Help to Buy Equity Loan.
Help to Buy terms and conditions
Terms and conditions
Help to Buy is a Government backed initiative in partnership with housebuilders. Help to Buy cannot be used in conjunction with any other scheme. It is highly advised, for a swift, smooth transaction that an IFA/Solicitor advised by Redrow Homes is used. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other Redrow offer. Help to Buy is only available within England. Subject to availability, on selected plots only.
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