NewBuildHomes
New Build Buyer's Guide 2025

Help to Buy Schemes for New Homes

Your simple guide to government-backed schemes designed to make buying a new build home more affordable.

10 min read
Published August 2025
Written by NewBuildHomes

Buying a New Build with Government Help

Government 'Help to Buy' initiatives are designed to help more people get onto the property ladder, with a specific focus on boosting the new build housing market. While the popular Equity Loan scheme has ended in England, several other powerful options are available, primarily for first-time buyers. This guide breaks them down.

Key Schemes for New Builds

  • Shared Ownership: Buy a share of a new build home (10%-75%) and pay rent on the rest. The most common scheme currently available.
  • Help to Buy ISA & Lifetime ISA (LISA): Tax-free savings accounts where the government adds a 25% bonus to your savings, which you can use for a deposit on your first home.
  • First Homes Scheme: Offers new build homes to local first-time buyers and key workers at a discount of 30% to 50%.
  • Developer Incentives: Many house builders offer their own schemes, such as deposit contributions or part-exchange.

Shared Ownership Explained

The main government-backed route to buying a new build home with a smaller deposit and lower mortgage payments.

How It Works

  1. 1

    Buy a Share

    You buy a share of a new build property, typically between 25% and 75% of its market value. The housing crisis has led the government to introduce new models that allow for shares as low as 10%.

  2. 2

    Pay Rent on the Rest

    You pay subsidised rent to a housing association on the share you don't own.

  3. 3

    Staircasing

    Over time, you can buy more shares in your home (a process called 'staircasing') until you own 100%.

Key Eligibility

  • Your household income is less than £80,000 a year (£90,000 in London).
  • You are a first-time buyer, used to own a home but can't afford one now, or are an existing shared owner.
  • You have a good credit history and can afford the mortgage and rent payments.
  • You have a deposit for the share you are buying (usually 5-10% of the share's value).

Other Support for New Build Buyers

Help to Buy / Lifetime ISAs

Save for your deposit and get a 25% government bonus. A Lifetime ISA (LISA) is the main option for new savers, allowing you to save up to £4,000 per year.

Learn about LISAs Use our ISA Calculator

First Homes Scheme

A newer scheme offering specific new build homes to local first-time buyers and key workers with a discount of 30-50% on the market price.

Check Eligibility

Frequently Asked Questions

Find a Home That Fits Your Budget

Explore new build developments offering Shared Ownership and other incentives. Start your journey to homeownership today.

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