Housing Associations

If you are not currently in a position to buy an affordable new home, the Government's Rent to HomeBuy scheme could provide the perfect solution: reduced rent on a newly-built home for up to five years, giving you the chance to save up for a deposit to buy a share of the property at a later date.

The G15, the group of London's biggest housing associations, will deliver around 13,000 new affordable homes in London by 2015, after securing over £350m in funding from the government.

Trafford Council is looking for feedback from local residents on a proposal to convert homes in Trafford into affordable homes, under an initiative called the Empty Property Strategy.

There are over 1,000 properties in Trafford which have been vacant for over six months and the council plans to make use of the properties by transforming them into affordable homes.

Southern Housing Group, which offers a range of affordable homes for sale, has won an award for being one of the most environmentally-friendly housing associations in the country.

Almost 20 new home developers and housing associations have been shortlisted for an accolade at this year's First Time Buyer Readers' Awards 2011.

The Southern Housing Group has announced plans to launch a range of affordable homes in Highbury and Islington in summer 2011.

The affordable housing development, Highbury Gardens, consists of 119 one, two and three bedroom new build homes situated around a private landscaped garden.

Even if buying a new home on an outright purchase is not an option, there are a number of new home builders and housing associations that could potentially help people get a first foot on the housing ladder through various affordable housing schemes.

The growing number of first-time buyers unable to afford to buy a new home is major cause for concern, according to the chief executive of a housing association.

The average age of first-time buyers is now 37 and Steve Jennings, head of Weaver Vale Housing Trust, says that more investment is required to provide affordable homes.

RSL London and Quadrant (L&Q) has extended the availability of its UpToYou rent-to-buy initiative for households with an annual income of between £12,000 and £25,000.

Purchasing a home is one of the biggest decisions we will ever make within our lives. In order to purchase the ideal home, we need to take a number of factors into consideration such as location, space and key features.