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Homes England appoints three housing associations to become national Help to Buy agents
Three housing associations have been chosen by Homes England to manage its new Help to Buy agent network across the country, replacing the seven agents previously operating the programme.
Plus Dane Housing, BPHA and Radian have been selected to work as agents in the North, Midlands and London, and the South respectively.
The associations will be responsible for the administration of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme and the promotion of affordable housing options, such as shared ownership and affordable rent.
The move is part of an attempt by Homes England to simplify the delivery of its Help to Buy scheme, which was previously delivered via a network of seven agents.
As of 2 January, anyone applying for a Help to Buy scheme must do so through either Plus Dane Housing, BPHA or Radian, depending on their location.
The Help to Buy equity loan scheme, which ends in its current form in 2021, sees the government lend up to 20% of the property price to individuals looking to move into new build homes.
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Radian said it will now hire new people to its Help to Buy teams, which include staff for the Help to Buy customer service care team, Help to Buy agency and Help to Buy programmes, as a result of winning the contract.
The new contract means Radian will take over the administration of the East, South East and South West areas from BPHA and Sovereign. Sovereign worked in partnership with Westward Housing to manage Help to Buy South West.
Will German, director of Help to Buy at Homes England, said: “Our Help to Buy agents play a key role in our customers’ journey to homeownership.
“We look forward to working with our new agents BPHA, Plus Dane and Radian over the coming months, and hope new Help to Buy customers will enjoy a very pleasant on-boarding experience with them.”
Sam Leigh, chief operating officer at Radian, said: “This contract cements our strong and ongoing partnership with Homes England and demonstrates our commitment to providing affordable homes for as many people as possible.”
Update: at 10.20 10/01/20 This article was updated to include information about Westward Housing working in partnership with Sovereign to deliver Help to Buy South West.
