Frequently asked questions

What is HomeBuy?

HomeBuy is a government-funded scheme that helps people who would not normally be able to afford home ownership to purchase a home of their own.

HomeBuy is also known as shared ownership, or part-rent, part-buy. This is because shared owners buy a share in their home and pay rent on the rest.

Shared owners do not share their homes with someone else; they simply share the ownership of it with a housing association.

How does HomeBuy work?

The size of the share you buy is usually between 25% and 75% of the value of the property although this does depend on individual circumstances.

Normally we sell 50% shares, although smaller or larger shares may be available on some of our new developments.

Shared owners pay a monthly rent to us for the share that they haven’t purchased. There will normally also be a service charge to cover items such as building insurance, management and cleaning of any common areas.

Am I eligible for HomeBuy?

HomeBuy is designed to help people who cannot afford to buy the type of home that they need.

In most instances existing council and housing association tenants and people registered for housing with the council are given priority but other people can also benefit from HomeBuy.

Most shared owners are first time buyers; others are people who have had to leave their owner-occupied home because of a relationship breakdown.

Those who cannot afford the costs of shared ownership cannot be considered. We will also be unable to help you if you have had any arrears of rent in the last six months, or are already named on an existing mortgage or property deeds.

Applicants on Housing Benefit will need to be assessed on a case by case basis before a decision can be made.

How do I register with A2Dominion New Homes?

You can contact us online, by email or by telephone to register.

Please visit our How to apply section.

What are the income requirements?

You need to have a gross household income of up to £64,300 per annum when applying to buy 1 and 2 bedroom properties. Or up to £77,200 per annum when applying to buy a family sized property (3+ bedrooms). Bonuses and other forms of income will be included as part of your overall income. Please note: a lower income threshold may be applicable on certain developments

Do I need savings?

To be accepted onto our shared ownership list you need savings. This money will be required to cover legal, other professional fees and stamp duty.

Minimum amount required is £4,000.

Again, this is a minimum figure. If you were to buy a new property in a high value area, you would need to have access to additional savings.

What is staircasing?

Staircasing is when you buy more shares in your home.

For example, if you have bought a shared ownership property and we each own 50% of it, you can choose to buy more shares in your home. So if you decided to buy another 25% of your home you would own 75% of it altogether.

You can staircase until you own your property outright.