Family priced out of property market make “life-changing move” thanks to shared ownership

Priced out of the property market in their local town of Staines in Surrey, the Stickley family, who were renting for 13 years, feared they would never get onto the property ladder.

That was until they discovered Edinburgh Mews, a new development from A2Dominion New Homes which was offering a range of brand new three-bedroom houses, all for shared ownership sale.

Graphic designer Jonathan Stickley, 42, who lives with his wife and two children, said: “We had been renting for around 13 years but anytime we got settled anywhere the landlord would sell the property and we would have to move on.

“We ended up in April 2011 having to move into a two-bedroom bungalow which, with my two children aged 13 and just over one year old, was not ideal at all.

“I saw the Edinburgh Mews development going up, brick by brick, and I thought it would be perfect for us. When I found out the homes would be for shared ownership, I was really keen.”

Mr Stickley attended a meeting held by A2Dominion New Homes in a local venue to find out more information about the new homes and shared ownership.

He said: “We put our names down for a property and were delighted when we were allocated a three-bedroom terrace house.

Mr Stickley said: “A2Dominion New Homes provided us with a financial advisor who helped us to secure a mortgage. We put down a deposit with money we had saved and with help from family.”

The family bought a 40 per cent share of the three-bedroom property for £116,000 and they pay rent on the remaining share they do not own. Over time if they choose to do so, they can increase their shares until they eventually own the home outright.

Mr Stickley said: “We didn’t actually see our new house inside until the week before we moved in. But it was fantastic. These new homes are gorgeous.

“We were absolutely thrilled and we are all in love with our new place. When it came to moving in, A2Dominion showed us around and gave a demonstration of how things work such as the heating system, along with a homeowner manual.”

Mr Stickley said that financially they were actually better off each month compared to when they were renting.

“Previously, when we had been renting a three-bedroom flat we had paid £1,200 and for our two-bedroom bungalow the rent was £1,000. But now our mortgage and rent comes in at about £900 in total for our new house,” he said.

My Stickley said he was relieved the burden of worrying about renting was finally over.

“One of the best things about this is that it’s ours and we are not renting anymore. This has been life-changing for us,” he said.

The local area is also convenient for the family. “I work in Staines, my wife works in Sunbury Cross and my parents and brother also live in the local area, so the location is ideal. We feel that we are so lucky,” Mr Stickley added.

A2Dominion New Homes worked in partnership Spelthorne Borough Council to deliver the Edinburgh Mews development, which is unusual in offering all three-bedroom shared ownership homes.

Planning officers recommended that an exception be made to planning policy, which states that new schemes should not exceed 35 per cent intermediate (shared ownership) housing and should include a mixture of one and two-bedroom homes, to allow the Edinburgh Mews scheme to go ahead, providing a much-needed type of housing for the area.