If you are a first-time buyer in England, you can apply for a Help to Buy Equity Loan.
This is a loan from the government that you put towards the cost of buying a newly built home.
How does it work?
You can borrow a minimum of 5% and up to a maximum of 20% (40% in London) of the full purchase price of a new-build home.
You must buy your home from a homebuilder registered for Help to Buy: Equity Loan.
The amount you pay for a home depends on where in England you buy it.
Help to Buy: Equity Loan price caps – April 2021 to March 2023
| Region | Maximum Property Price |
|---|---|
| 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 | £437,000 |
| South West | £349,000 |
The equity loan, the deposit you have saved, and your repayment mortgage cover the total cost of buying your newly built home.
The percentage you borrow is based on the market value of your home when you buy it.
You do not pay interest on the equity loan for the first 5 years. You start to pay interest in year 6, on the equity loan amount you borrowed.
The equity loan payments are interest only, so you do not reduce the amount you owe.
You can repay all or part of your equity loan at any time. A part payment must be at least 10% of what your home is worth at the time of repayment.
Example: for a home with a £200,000 price tag
Paying back the equity loan
When deciding if an equity loan is right for you, it’s important to consider the full cost of your borrowing:
For the first five 5 years:
- The equity loan is interest free
- You pay a £1 monthly management fee by Direct Debit
From year 6:
- Pay the £1 monthly management fee
- Pay monthly interest fee of 1.75% of the equity loan
- Interest rate will rise each year in April by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), plus 2%
- Continue to pay interest until you repay your loan in full
When you take out your equity loan, you agree to repay it in full, plus interest and management fees.
You must repay your equity loan in full:
- At the end of the equity loan term
- When you pay off your repayment mortgage
- When you sell your home
- If you do not follow the terms set out in the equity loan contract and we ask you to repay the loan in full
The amount you pay back is worked out as a percentage of the market value at the time you choose to repay.
If the market value of your home rises, so does the amount you owe on your equity loan. And if the value of your home falls, the amount you owe on your equity loan falls too.
Start now and see if you qualify in minutes.
FAQs
How much can I borrow?
The maximum you can borrow using the Help to Buy scheme is x4.5 your salary.
How can I find out my maximum budget using the Help to Buy?
See if you qualify and how much you can borrow in minuets by starting your application. No credit checks are involved when establishing your maximum budget. Apply for the HTB here.
Can I rent out a property that was purchased using the Help to Buy?
You can however you must have lived in the property for at least 5 years before you can consider renting the property if it was purchased using the HTB scheme. You will also need to change the mortgage to a BTL mortgage unless your mortgage provider grants you permission to let. This is called ‘Consent to let’.
Can you get a Help to Buy mortgage on a property that is not a newly built home?
In theory you can however the person or company selling the home will have to be registered with the HTB scheme making it rare to find a second hand home where it would qualify for a HTB mortgage.
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