Low cost housing is a general term for several schemes aimed at helping people on low and moderate incomes to afford a home of their own.
HomeBuy is the Government-funded programme which provides low cost, affordable homes to first time buyers, key workers and others who cannot afford to buy a property on the open market in the area where they want to live without financial help.
HomeBuy is managed throughout Surrey by Thames Valley Housing Association, the zone agent for the county.
Zone agents work closely with local authorities to deliver the HomeBuy programme in a way which best meets local needs.
There are four main ‘products’ under the heading of HomeBuy:
Open Market HomeBuy: a Government-backed scheme which helps people to buy a home on the open market by allowing access to additional money in the form of equity loans to supplement a mortgage. The main groups of people to be helped by the scheme are: key public sector workers; existing tenants of housing associations; those on the Council’s housing register; some other priority first time buyers.
New Build HomeBuy: formerly known as Shared Ownership, this offers people the chance to acquire a new home on a part-buy/part-rent basis, whereby you can purchase a share of the property (as little as 25%) by means of a mortgage, and pay a subsidised rent on the remaining portion.
Social HomeBuy: offers some housing association tenants the opportunity to buy a share in their home. Please contact your housing association for more details.
First Time Buyers’ Initiative: this applies to new build homes. You buy your brand new home with an affordable mortgage and with Government assistance.
The above information is intended as a general guide only. For more detailed and up-to-date information, please click on the link below for the HomeBuy website: http://www.homebuy.co.uk/index.asp (external website)
If you would like to speak to a member of Spelthorne Borough Council’s housing options team, please ring 01784 446380/1/2/3/4/5 or e-mail housing.needs@spelthorne.gov.uk
Information for Spelthorne key workers
Who is a key worker?
A key worker is someone who is employed in a job that provides an essential service to the local community.
Spelthorne Borough Council accepts the following categories of professions as key workers:
all clinical NHS staff
teachers in schools and further education
police officers and community support officers
uniformed staff in fire and rescue services
prison and probation staff
social workers
occupational therapists
educational psychologists
speech and language therapists
qualified nursery nurses
local authority-employed clinical staff
local authority planners
If you are a key worker in Spelthorne and currently looking for housing, it is essential that your name is on the Council’s housing register. This may give you access to rented housing association accommodation.
Alternatively, it will allow you to apply to the Government’s HomeBuy scheme which is managed on behalf of the Council by Thames Valley Housing Association.
Further information is available by clicking on the link below
