Thinking of owning your home, or buying a new build, but don't know how to go about it? Read how Aatif Rehman did it, with the support of Help to Buy.

1. Help to Buy
Aatif Rehman

2. Aatif, 39, is a
software developer
from Middlesex
He had to sell the family home
in the process
He’d relocated to the North
West for his job when his
relationship of 13 years
unexpectedly
broke down

3. Having bought his
first home in North
London at 21, he was
facing the possibility
of renting for the
first time in his life…
Determined to get
himself somewhere
new and make a
fresh start, he
started looking at
new-build homes in
his area, hoping he
could buy a place of
his own…

4. Then he came across College Place, a
Morris Homes scheme in
Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside…
“I looked at several new builds in the area
but …their build quality wasn't as good as
[this one] and the other estates were a lot
larger – this particular estate was tiny in
comparison and a little more exclusive.”
(Aatif)

5. Whilst there, he found out about Help to
Buy
He’d previously heard of it but didn’t think
he’d be eligible
“I'd assumed I wouldn’t qualify, this not being
my first house.
I thought it was something only in place for
first time buyers.”

6. This is a common
mis-conception about
Help to Buy…
In fact, it’s open to both
first time buyers and
existing homeowners

7. This made a huge difference to Aatif…
“Without Help to Buy, I'd have ended up
in either a rented property or somewhere
tiny…I've been a homeowner my entire
adult life…so the prospect of no longer
being a homeowner or downgrading my
home in my late thirties, was very daunting.
Help to Buy has meant that neither of
these things has happened.”

8. He found the whole process really easy
& stress-free, with the sale of his
existing home and purchase of the new
property taking just under 2 months to
complete!
“It was very straightforward.
A mortgage advisor was appointed by
Morris Homes who took care of the
entire process for me.”

9. Aatif is now enjoying life as a
homeowner again; he loves the
quality of his new-build home and
the area he lives in
He’s now recommending the
scheme to other homeowners he
knows

10. • Through the Help to Buy scheme, you only
need to raise a 5% deposit
• you can access the support of up to 20% in the
form of an equity loan from Government
• There's nothing to pay on the loan for 5 years as
it’s interest free until year 6
www.ownyourhome.gov.uk