Over 265,000 first time buyers have benefitted from Help-To-Buy

Over 265,000 first-time buyers (FTBs) in England and Wales have benefitted from government Help-to-Buy Equity Loan schemes since they were introduced in April 2013 and January 2014 respectively. 82% of all HTB equity loan property purchases between April 2013 and December 2020 have been to first-time buyers. Over half (58%) of FTBs in England purchase with the minimum 5% deposit; 23% have a deposit between 5.1% and 10%. In England, the average FTB HTB property price is £311,635; £50,000 less than for non FTBs. Despite the market closure in 2020, FTB HTB purchases were just 5% lower than in 2019. 17,700 completions took place in the final quarter, virtually double the 5-year quarterly average (2015–2019).