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Affordable homes to rent or buy

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If you want to buy your own home, but can’t afford the cost of home ownership, there are a number of schemes which can help you.

We recommend you get independent professional advice before you commit to any home ownership scheme.

You’ll only be eligible for one scheme at a time – for example, you can’t use the Help to Buy scheme to buy a Shared Ownership home.

Remember, your home will be at risk if you don’t keep up payments secured on it.

Affordable home ownership schemes Click to get info

Help to Buy: Shared Ownership

If you’re working and some money for a deposit, you could consider Shared Ownership. This is sometimes called ‘part-buy part-rent’.

Shared Ownership means you can buy a 25 to 75 per cent share of a home from a housing association. You then pay rent on the value of the remaining percentage. Rent is capped at a maximum 3 per cent of the value of the share that the housing association still owns. This means you can take your first step towards home ownership with a smaller deposit than if you bought a home outright.

When you can afford to, you can buy more shares until you own 100 per cent of your home.

The Help to Buy website includes Shared Ownership information on:

  • eligibility
  • people with disabilities
  • older people
  • how to buy

Right to Buy

If you’re a council housing tenant, you may have the right to buy your home. Find out more on our Right to Buy page.

Help to Buy: Equity Loan

If you have enough money for a five per cent deposit, you could consider Help to Buy: Equity Loan. This is where the government lends you up to 20 per cent (or up to 40 per cent in Greater London) of the cost of your newly-built home. You won’t be charged loan fees on this government loan for the first five years.

Find out more about Help to Buy: Equity Loan on the Help to Buy website.

Help to Buy: ISA

When you’re saving to buy your first home with a Help to Buy ISA, the government will boost your savings by giving you a bonus. So the more you save, the bigger bonus you get.

Find out more about a Help to Buy: ISA on then Help to Buy website.

Affordable rent schemes: helping you save to buy Click to get info

Affordable rent schemes are an option if you're not looking to buy a home just yet, but want to be able to start saving for a deposit to buy in the future.

Intermediate Rent 

This scheme allows you to rent a brand new or refurbished home for approximately 20 per cent less than the market rate.

Find out more about Intermediate Rent on the Share to Buy website.

Rent to Save

The Rent to Save scheme allows you to rent a home at up to 20 per cent lower than usual market rents. As part of this, you agree a saving plan to help you save up a deposit to buy a home.

Find out more about Rent to Save on the Share to Buy website.

     

    Search for affordable homes to rent or buy Click to get info

    The following websites list affordable homes:

    Lettings Waltham Forest: rentals for key workers Click to get info

    Key workers are public sector employees who provide a vital service. They may work in:

    • health
    • education
    • emergency services
    • local government
    • ...and others

    If you're a key worker and you're finding it hard to find a suitably-priced home, then Lettings Waltham Forest may be able to help you.

    Lettings Waltham Forest is a lettings agency that's part of our council. It helps key workers find a home in the borough. 

    Unlike many other lettings agencies, Lettings Waltham Forest doesn't charge fees to tenants.

    Find our more by visiting the Lettings Waltham Forest website. 

    How to find a home: self-help guides Click to get info