Housing budget doubled, Chancellor announces

As part of his joint Spending Review and Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne has revealed that the housing budget is to be doubled to £2 billion a year.

This extra funding will fund 400,000 new ‘affordable’ homes by the end of the decade, in a statement Osborne claims will be ‘affordable to buy, not just to rent’.

Help-to-Buy shared ownership will relax the rules around shared ownership, ensuring more people can take advantage.

Using the ‘we are builders’ slogan from his Conservative conference speech, Osborne also revealed that from 0:00 on the 26 November, the tenants of five housing associations will be able to exercise their Right-to-Buy.

The Chancellor also stated that the London Help-to-Buy scheme will allow people in the capital to get a loan to help buy a home. Those living in London can access a 40 per cent loan of the price of their home from 2016, as opposed to the current 20 per cent.

With the London Help to Buy equity loan, users will have to contribute at least five per cent of the property price as a deposit, and after the 40 per cent government loan, will need a mortgage of up to 55 per cent to cover the rest.

From 1 April 2016 people purchasing additional properties such as Buy-to-Let properties and second homes will pay an extra three per cent in stamp duty. Money raised from tax on people buying their second home will be used to help those struggling to buy their first home.