What are my housing choices?

One option you might want to consider is Private rented housing, renting through the market with a private landlord. This allows you to move quickly, be more particular with the area you pick with more property types to pick from, and you may even find somewhere partially furnished.

Find more information on our Private rented housing page.

You can buy a home through the shared ownership scheme if you cannot afford all of the deposit and mortgage payments for a home that meets your needs. You buy a share of the property and pay rent to a landlord on the rest. 

Find out more on the GOV.UK website.

A discounted market sale is a type of affordable housing which is intended as low-cost home ownership for those who cannot afford to buy a property in the open market.

Find more information on the discounted market sale scheme.

If you’re a first-time buyer, you may be able to buy a home for 30% to 50% less than its market value. The home must be your only or main residence.

This offer is called the First Homes scheme, you can find out more on the GOV.UK website.

Rent to Buy helps tenants in England save for a deposit to buy a home by offering properties at a discount. This is normally 20% below market rent.

You can find out more on the GOV.UK website.

If you’re building a home or hiring someone to build one, you may be able to get a government-backed loan to cover part of the cost. This is called a Help to Build equity loan.

You can apply for the Help to Build equity loan to do any of the following:

• buy land and build a new home on it
• build an ‘airspace development’ flat (airspace developments are new properties built in unused space above an existing building)
• convert a commercial property into a residential property 
• build a ‘custom shell home’ (where a professional builds the structure, but you’re responsible for the design and layout inside)
• demolish an existing property and replace it with a new home

You cannot use the loan to build:

• more than one home
• upgrades to your home
• a second home - you must live in the new home and sell any other residential property you own within 12 months of the date the new home is built

You can only get an equity loan if you’re also able to get a mortgage for the home you want to build.

You can apply for between 5% and 20% of the estimated land and building costs for your home (or up to 40% of estimated land and building costs in London).  

The estimated costs cannot be more than:  

• £600,000 if you’re buying the land and building your home  (the build cannot be more than £400,000)
• £400,000 if you’re building on land you already own

When estimating the cost of your project, do not include:

• VAT you’ll pay on building costs or anything else
• money you’ll set aside in case the project goes over budget (whether it’s yours, or part of the mortgage)

Social rented housing provides affordable accommodation for households with housing needs, such as a medical or financial need. 

Check whether you are eligible for social rented housing.