Mortgage Scheme Guide
Shared Ownership Mortgages
A Shared Ownership mortgage is a type of mortgage that allows you to buy a share of a property (usually between 25% and 75%) and pay rent on the remaining share to a housing association or other designated provider. Shared ownership mortgages are designed to help first-time buyers and people with lower incomes to get onto the property ladder by making it more affordable to buy a home.
With a shared ownership mortgage, you would take out a mortgage to buy the share of the property that you can afford, and pay a subsidised rent on the remaining share. For example, if you buy a 50% share of a property worth £200,000, you would take out a mortgage for £100,000 and pay rent on the remaining £100,000 share.
You can usually increase your share of the property over time by buying additional shares, known as “staircasing”.
Right to Buy Mortgages
A Right to Buy mortgage is a type of mortgage that is designed specifically for council or housing association tenants who wish to purchase the home they are currently renting from their local authority or housing association.
Under the Right to Buy scheme, eligible tenants have the right to purchase their rented property at a discounted price, which is usually based on the length of time they have been a tenant. Right to Buy mortgages are specifically designed to help tenants access the funds they need to purchase their home through the scheme.
Right to Buy mortgages are similar to other types of mortgages, in that they are usually long-term loans that are secured against the property being purchased. The amount that can be borrowed through a Right to Buy mortgage will depend on a range of factors, such as the value of the property, the borrower’s income, and their credit history.
As with any mortgage, it’s important to carefully consider your options and seek professional advice before taking out a Right to Buy mortgage. This will help ensure that you choose the right mortgage product for your needs and circumstances, and that you are able to meet your mortgage repayments over the long term.
Shared ownership mortgages can be a good option for people who are struggling to save for a deposit, as the deposit required is typically lower than for a traditional mortgage. They can also offer more affordable monthly payments, as the rent paid on the remaining share is often lower than the equivalent mortgage payments.
It’s important to note that not all properties are eligible for shared ownership, and there may be restrictions on the percentage of the property you can buy and the housing associations or providers that are available in your area. It’s important to carefully consider your financial situation and the terms and conditions of the shared ownership scheme before deciding if it is right for you.
Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee Scheme
The UK government has extended the mortgage guarantee scheme until the end of December 2023. This scheme provides support for those who are looking to buy a home with a small deposit. The government guarantees a portion of the mortgage, making it possible for borrowers to secure a mortgage with as little as a 5% deposit on a property’s value. This scheme is intended to help first-time buyers and those who struggle to get a mortgage due to a lack of available funds for a large deposit.
The scheme has already helped over 24,000 households up to November 2022. The scheme has also supported the wider housing sector, which suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lenders reduced the availability of high Loan-to-Value products during the pandemic, with just eight 95% LTV products available in January 2021. The government’s mortgage guarantee scheme has helped restore competition and consumer choice to the market, which has benefited businesses and boosted the market.
The mortgage guarantee scheme is available to anyone looking to purchase a residential property in the UK with a mortgage of up to £600,000. It is available for both new-build and existing properties and to both first-time buyers and home movers. The borrower must have a deposit of at least 5% of the property’s value, up to a maximum of 95%. They must pass affordability checks and satisfy the lender’s other lending criteria, such as credit history and income. The property must be the borrower’s primary residence and not a second home or buy-to-let property.
Despite the guarantee, borrowers will still be responsible for making mortgage payments and complying with the terms of the mortgage agreement. The scheme has helped many people get onto the property ladder who would otherwise struggle to do so due to a lack of available funds for a large deposit.
First Homes Scheme
The First Homes scheme is a new initiative launched by the UK government to provide discounted homes for first-time buyers and key workers. The scheme is aimed at helping those who would otherwise struggle to get on the property ladder due to high house prices.
Under the scheme, first-time buyers will be able to purchase homes at a discount of at least 30% off the market price. The discount will be funded by a combination of developer contributions and Section 106 agreements, which require developers to provide affordable housing as part of their planning permission.
The First Homes properties will be available to eligible buyers who meet certain criteria, such as being a first-time buyer, a key worker, or a member of the armed forces. The scheme is also open to local residents and those with a connection to the local area.
To be eligible for the scheme, buyers must have a household income of less than £80,000 per year (£90,000 in London) and must be able to raise a mortgage of at least 50% of the discounted purchase price. The maximum purchase price for a First Homes property is £250,000 (£420,000 in London).
Lifetime ISA
The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is a savings account designed to help people save for their first home or for later life. To open a LISA, you must be between 18 and 39 years old.
You can save up to £4,000 each tax year, and the government will add a 25% bonus to your savings, up to a maximum of £1,000 per year. This bonus is paid into your account at the end of each tax year.
You can use the money in your LISA to buy your first home, as long as the property costs £450,000 or less, and you are buying with a mortgage. You must have had the LISA open for at least 12 months before you can use it to buy a property.
If you’re buying with another first-time buyer who also has a LISA, you can both use your LISAs towards the same property, effectively doubling your bonus.
However, if you withdraw money from your LISA for any reason other than buying your first home or withdrawing after age 60, you will be charged a penalty of 25% on the amount withdrawn. This means you will get back less than you put in, including the government bonus.
Help to Buy: ISA
A Help to Buy ISA is a savings account for first-time buyers in the UK that offers a government bonus towards the purchase of a home. For every £200 saved, the government adds a £50 bonus, up to a maximum bonus of £3,000.
When it comes to getting a mortgage, having a Help to Buy ISA can be beneficial as it can be used as a deposit towards the purchase of a home. The bonus is only paid upon completion of the purchase, so it cannot be used for the initial deposit or exchange deposit. However, the money saved in a Help to Buy ISA can still be used towards the initial deposit.
The maximum purchase price for using a Help to Buy ISA to buy a property is £250,000 outside of London and £450,000 in London.
It’s worth noting that the Help to Buy ISA closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. However, those who already have a Help to Buy ISA can continue to use it to save and claim the government bonus until November 2029.
The scheme is being rolled out gradually across the UK, with the first wave of properties launched in June 2021. The government has committed to building at least 1,500 First Homes properties by March 2022, with the aim of providing at least 10,000 homes per year in the future.
The First Homes scheme is intended to provide a long-term solution to the UK’s housing affordability crisis by making it easier for first-time buyers and key workers to get on the property ladder. By offering discounted homes, the scheme aims to create more sustainable and inclusive communities, with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate building surveyors.
Thameside Mortgage Ltd are not regulated by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, we do not have any involvement in the provision of this type of service / activity. We are not qualified surveyors and the information provided on this website is for informational purposes only. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, inspection, or survey.
It is important to seek professional advice and to undertake a proper survey/inspection before making decisions or taking actions related to a property.
What Our Clients Are Saying
-
Fantastic service from start to finish. Andrew and Laura assisted with the purchase of mine and my partners first home, it was great to know that we were in safe hands throughout. Highly recommend!
Noah Kirby
Thank you to Thameside Mortgages to Laura and Andrew, helping me get the mortgage, they were both very professional. The mortgage was smooth and efficient. I had difficulties with the solicitor, but Laura and Andrew have been there to support me throughout. I will definitely be in contact for a future mortgages. Happy to recommend to anyone.
chong brown
I had heard great things about Thameside Mortgages before we used them to buy our new home, and they certainly did not disappoint! Andrew and his team were friendly, thorough and efficient from start to finish, which made what initially felt like a daunting process completely stress free. The team went above and beyond on multiple occasions, including to resolve a couple of unforeseen issues that we encountered with our mortgage application, proving that we couldn’t have done it without them! I will definitely be using them again for any future house purchase / remortgage.
Michaela Peck
-
Excellent service. Helped me through the process of finding best mortgage deal. Cant recommend them enough.
Alan King
Having used a number of mortgage advisors in the past, I can say that Thameside were a breath of fresh air. We have an unusual situation and were told we couldn’t get what we needed from other advisors. Thameside were able to arrange a mortgage and kept us updated constantly and were available any time to discuss all the usual issues. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a mortgage.
Christian Willmore
Andrew and his team are great to work with! They are very knowledgeable and have been very helpful throughout the whole process!
Yafet Cole
-
I could not recommend Thameside Mortgages More! Andrew is always fantastic to deal with, he is always extremely responsive, supportive and helpful! Thanks to the team at Thameside and Andrew for your constant support!
Larissa Tait
I was highly recommended Thameside Mortgages and they didn't disappoint! The process was stress free, professional and very efficient. Nothing was a problem. Everything was explained fully and no question was to much trouble to answer in a way that I could understand. I also took out insurances too which were highly competitive! Great company and service received.
Laura Biggs
We used Thameside Mortgages for our mgt for our new property. We had professional and brilliant service from Andrew and his team. I would highly recommend Thameside Mortgage as they go over and above what I expected from them. Thank you so much Andrew and your team X
Kelly Carberry
-
Thameside Mortgages have been fantastic. They helped me through the whole mortgage process and were totally supportive. I was not only trying to buy a house but also remortgage my old one at the same. I can t tell you how stressed I was but Andrew and Lydia were amazing and walked me through the whole process. They will always do their best to help you. Believe me you are in safe hands with them. Thanks Sharon
Shaz Call
Huge thank you to Andrew, Laura & the team for all their help in sorting out my sons remortgage. In what was an extremely difficult time for us as a family they went above & beyond to make sure everything was dealt with quickly & efficiently, searching the market to obtain the best possible deal for him. Highly recommend their service & Andrews knowledge was an absolute godsend. Thank you all once again for the excellent service, we will certainly recommend you as often as possible 😊
Helen Clarke
This is the second time I've instructed Andrew Sheen at Thameside Mortgages to find and secure the right deal for me. On both occasions I've had complete confidence in his ability to work with my best interests at heart. So professional and personable, I hope to always work with him when moving house or remortgaging. Not to mention, he's also a really top bloke. Thank you Andrew and team. Let's do it all again in 5 years time.
Tom Denton
-
After the purchase of our property we were in search of a good mortgage broker and our estate agent recommended Andrew. After speaking to Andrew we were confident we had found the right person to entrust finding us something as important as our first mortgage. We provided Andrew with all the necessary details and with his extensive experience and knowledge in this field, he was able to find us a very good mortgage deal. It was a pleasure working with Andrew and he was there to help and support us from the initial stages of the mortgage to the final completion day. When we needed to remortgage, Andrew helped us find another good deal, providing the same care and support as before. I would definitely recommend Andrew to anyone who is looking for an experienced and professional yet very approachable and friendly expert broker who will help guide them through the whole mortgage process. Thank you so much Andrew and Lydia for all your help recently.
Pam Mehroke
Introduced to Mr Sheen in 2016 and using his services for me and my family since then. When I was looking for the second mortgage, I was unable to find him at his earlier employers, as he had meanwhile started Thameside Mortgages. I spent two days on internet, found him and contacted. I appreciate 7 respect his services, integrity & professionalism.
Rajen Saraswati
We used Thameside Mortgages for the purchase of our first home. We had both a professional and brilliant service from Andrew and his team. I would highly recommend Thameside Mortgages. They go above and beyond and guided us through the whole process. Thank you so much Andrew.
Alice Gedge
-
Brilliant service from start to finish. Andrew and the team were friendly, knowledgeable and available at every step of the way during the remortgage process ensuring it went smoothly and were always available to help. Would thoroughly recommend.
Pietro Boffa
We've bought our first home with Thameside Mortgages and it was a wise decision to choose them over others. Andrew made sure that everything is done for us and helped us beyond our expectations. Both he and Laura are very responsive, professional and welling to help anytime is needed. Our journey was a long one, being a chain but they stood side by side with us the whole process even in this difficult time. If I should choose again I would definitely choose them again. I recommend them 100%. Well done Thameside Mortgages 👌
Partene Ramona
Jason was very knowledgable and calm during the whole process and always available to answer my questions. I would definitely use Thameside again.
Kerry Briggs
-
Andrew and his team were so helpful, quick and professional and once we moved into our new home they sent us the most amazing welcome gift. I can highly recommend them to everyone. A massive thank you for making our mortgage process for our first home so smooth and easy!
Whitney Osman
Thameside Mortgages, Jason Senior Financial Adviser is the most proactive Adviser I have had the pleasure of working with. He helped me not only with the purchase of my Property 5 years ago but also with my Remortgage couple days ago, very versatile with a lot of knowledge and huge experience a really great, amazing person. My e-mail was answered frequently within a minute, he was quick on the document chase. Friendly professional, service, I definitely recommend it. And very decently. Thank you so much Jason.
stanislaw oleniacz
Impeccable service from Andrew and his team @ Thameside Mortgages. Very helpful, thorough and professional service. What’s more, we were under time restraints due to the temporary reduced rates of stamp duty; Thameside exceeded our expectations and got the job done with the mortgage secured and plenty of time to spare; a pleasant experience all round. Thanks Thameside!
Carl Jago
-
I've been working with Andrew and his team for a few years now. After recently completing a re-mortgage with Thameside I thought I'd leave a quick review to help others looking for help with the mortgage and to show my appreciation to everyone at Thameside. Their customer service is fantastic. Each time the process is completely stress free. The team are knowledge and always willing to go above and beyond to help make the process go smoothly. They take the time to explain the products they offer in a way that is easy to understand. They are profession and personable at the same time. I especially like the person touches the team do, like sending a thank you card on completion. I would highly recommend the services they offer. Keep up the good work Thameside.
Surj
Great service from start to finish, made the whole process very smooth and easy
Chris Lewis
We’ve been using Andrew for over 10 years, the service, knowledge and expertise he provides is exceptional! From our first time mortgage to re-mortgage, Andrew has always obtained extremely competitive rates vs what you would find on the market and is extremely responsive throughout the process. We also have our life insurance policies with Andrew, which we have found to be incredibly competitive. All around a great team and I would highly recommend Thameside Mortgages to anyone.
Philip Ismail
-
Andrew, Laura and the Thameside team were fantastic and delivered a brilliant result for us. They were able to secure two competitive mortgages for our remortgage and new house purchase. These were secured in a matter of weeks and then Thameside guided us through a tricky exchange and completion process with minimal fuss and stress. Thank you Thameside for a providing a wonderful service and we’ll sure to be back again in the future!
William McCann
We brought our first home nearly 2 years ago, we had Jason Harris as our advisor. I can’t put into words how much he helped from the very first call to present day with our remortgage and life insurance. Jason has been incredible from the get go, it felt as though we didn’t have to do anything really, as he found everything for us and gave multiple options so all we did was say yes or no. He broke everything down and explained things in such a simple way for us to not get too overwhelmed. He made everything feel stress free and simple, as well as finding us an incredible offer twice he has also found cheaper life insurance policies for us which is something I didn’t even think to do, he has saved us £100’s of pounds overall with our new offers. Really appreciate having him as our advisor and he’s a really helpful and lovely guy. Thank you Thameside & Thank you Jason.
chelsea melbourne
Thameside Mortgages have been outstanding. Very helpful and prompt. They helped me when no one else would. I recommend Thameside Mortgages to anyone who is looking to get a Mortgage!
jack foreman
-
Both Andrew and Laura were extremely helpful and responsive from start to finish. I highly recommend using Thameside Mortgages, we will definitely use them again.
Jake Whitford
I've used Andrew from Thameside Mortgages twice now, i'd highly recommend his service. The information provided was very in-depth and easy to understand. My most recent mortgage offer was about to complete, when Andrew called and had found a better rate and saved us more money which was a lovely surprise 🙂 Would use his service again!
matt grix
I am so glad that we worked with Thameside Mortgages for the purchasing of our first home. From initial enquiries, guidance whist making an offer on the house, to getting a mortgage offer & insurance options, we cannot fault their service! Jason always made us feel informed, in control and aware of all our options. 10/10 and we would definitely recommend to our friends and family! Thameside eliminated all the fears & stress we thought we would have, and made the experience easy and clear. Thank you very much!
Sainimili Kata
