Help to Buy 2 saves £22.1bn in deposits

The government’s second phase of Help to Buy could reduce deposit requirements for aspiring homeowners across England and Wales by £22.1bn, research by property website Zoopla claims.

There are currently 665,000 homes on the market that, at under £600,000, are eligible for the scheme. At an average asking price of £222,168 the scheme could reduce total deposit requirements by £22.1bn.

And the average deposit requirement to buy a property under Help to Buy 2 has fallen to £11,108 and has been reduced by £33,325.

Lawrence Hall of Zoopla.co.uk said: “Help to Buy 2 won’t just narrow the aspiration gap it could help close it entirely. House prices are beginning to rise, savings rates are low, inflation is consistently above target and wage increases aren’t keeping pace. It makes saving for a 20% deposit on a property very difficult for many.”

Under the scheme the government contributes 15% of the value of the property in the form of an equity loan and the borrower is required to put in a 5% deposit from their own pocket.

The average deposit required to buy an eligible property has fallen below £10,000 in six out of the ten regions across England and Wales, the Zoopla data shows.

An average home on the market in Yorkshire and the Humber can now be bought with a deposit of £8,129, the lowest level across the country whereas before Help to Buy 2 a 20% deposit in the region would have cost the average buyer £32,518.

The North East, the North West, Wales, the West Midlands, the East Midlands and the West Midlands all fall into the sub £10,000 deposit bracket.

In London where house prices are much higher the scheme will reduce the average deposit requirement by £48,309.

Hall said: “Even people with well-paid jobs are being priced out of the market. The new scheme helps address that problem making the first rung of the ladder much lower for would-be buyers who want to get a foot on it.

“People everywhere need help. Help to Buy can make the housing market a place for the many not the few.”

Peter Lawrence of Lawrence Rand added: “The requirement for a lower deposit will undoubtedly assist many first time buyers and second steppers with low equity to move home. It must however be realised that buyers will be more highly geared and potentially exposed to changes in house prices and interest rates.

It is still vital that professional financial advice is sought before any buyer considers such a major commitment.”