Homes in Essex

Rent to Buy homes provide budding buyers with the opportunity to rent a new-build property on an Intermediate Rent basis for a fixed term of up to five years. The homes are let at a 20% subsidised rate with a fixed rate of inflation to help tenants save towards a home-buying deposit.

Discount Market Sale (also known as Council Shared Equity or a reduced market value scheme) is a low-cost homeownership product where you can purchase a new-build property at a discount of up to 20%.

Help to Buy was a government-backed scheme which aimed to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. The alternative housing product provided eligible buyers with an equity loan (also known as shared equity) of up to 20% of the value of a new-build Help to Buy home. The Help to Buy government scheme provided a 20% loan so the buyer only needed to raise a 5% deposit, with a 75% mortgage making up the rest.

The Help to Buy: Equity Loan officially ended in March 2023. Find out more on Share to Buy or learn about Help to Buy alternatives including Shared Ownership, First Homes, Deposit Unlock and other homeownership schemes.

Deposit Unlock is a scheme developed by the Home Builders Federation and reinsurance firm, Gallagher Re.

In order to protect themselves from the devaluation of new properties, mortgage lenders are often stricter on the amount they are willing to lend on newly built homes, often setting minimum required deposits of 15-25%. Deposit Unlock lets buyers put down a 5% deposit on a new-build home with the house builder paying to insure the mortgage to make lenders more comfortable about offering high Loan-to-Value (LTV) mortgages on new homes.

Intermediate Rent (or Intermediate Market Rent) is a rental option designed to help first time buyers who can’t yet afford to buy a home, but want to save for a deposit to purchase a home within the next five years. The IMR scheme offers budding buyers the opportunity to rent a brand-new or refurbished home at less than the market rate.

Homes available through Intermediate Rent are usually let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy basis with a six-month contract period. You may have the opportunity to rent a home for longer than this initial contract period – for example, up to five years – but this will depend on your landlord’s plans for the home.

Shared Ownership is available on both new-build and resale homes. New-build homes are purpose-built properties that are usually part of a larger development or area regeneration.

Shared Ownership is available on both new-build and resale homes. Resales are pre-loved properties that you can purchase through the Shared Ownership scheme where the current shared owner is selling.

No – although this is a common misconception! The ‘shared’ element of the scheme simply means you’re sharing ownership of your home with a housing association. If you decide to buy a Shared Ownership home, you’re effectively purchasing a portion of a leasehold property. Your initial share will usually be between 10% and 75%, paying a mortgage on the part that you own and a below market value rent on the remainder.