Help-To-Buy Helps Lock Out First-Time Buyers

The government’s flagship Help-to-buy scheme has provided only temporary help to first-time buyers and locked other would-be homeowners out of the market, according to a housing economist. The scheme allows homebuyers with just 5% of a property’s price to buy a new-build home with the help of an interest-free loan or an existing home with a government-guaranteed mortgage. But while “a lucky few” first-time buyers have benefited, said Matthew Pointon, property economist at Capital Economics, the impact on house prices means others are no longer able to afford homes. “The Help-to-buy scheme was able to temporarily boost the availability of low deposit mortgages, helping a lucky few first-time buyers. But that improvement is proving to be temporary, as the resulting boost to house prices acts to lock other would-be buyers out of the market,” he said. Read more on the Guardian website.

Young Disabled People 'Locked Out' Of Housing

Young disabled people are ‘locked out’ of living independently because they do not trust the information given about homes suitable for them, a survey says.  Trailblazers, a group of disabled campaigners from across the UK, spoke to 200 young disabled people and found 85 per cent did not feel confident in the advice given to them about wheel-chair accessible homes. The advice came from estate agents, local authorities and other housing providers and the report Locked out says this has stopped at least half of the people interviewed from living independently.  ‘Many young disabled people lack the necessary faith in the services of local authorities, estate agents, landlords or property developers to make it possible for them to live independently or to move house where and when they want to,’ the report says. Download a copy of the report from the Trailblazers website.