New housing minister hints at Help to Buy extension

Robert Jenrick, who was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in Boris Johnson's new Cabinet, has refused to rule out extending the Help to Buy Scheme.

Related topics:  Mortgages
Rozi Jones
29th July 2019
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"I think all options are on the table. I intend to have further discussions with Sajid Javid in the weeks and months to come."

Speaking to The Times, Jenrick said: "This is a new administration, a new chancellor, I think all options are on the table. I intend to have further discussions with Sajid Javid in the weeks and months to come.”

He praised a "record year" for Help to Buy, which saw over 50,000 people taking advantage of the Scheme, an annual rise of 9%.

In the last Budget, then-Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that he would extend the Help to Buy Scheme from 2021 until 2023.

From April 2021, a new Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme will run for two years but the government said last year that it had no plans to introduce a further Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme after March 2023.

The government also plans to stop accepting new applications for the Help to Buy ISA from the 30th of November.

Sajid Javid became the government's new Chancellor last week, replacing Philip Hammond who stepped down following Johnson's appointment.

Piero Bassu, head of mortgages at Bankrate, commented: "The Help to Buy scheme has helped first time buyers get a foot on the property ladder and I welcome news that the Government is considering extending it.

“However, I would encourage Mr Jenrick to learn the lessons from when Help to Buy was first put in place, including any unintended consequences of the scheme. I think there is also more that could be done to educate first time buyers about the viable alternatives that they should consider.

“While the Help to Buy scheme goes some way towards solving first time buyers' financing challenges, in my opinion the UK’s mortgage market is still ripe for disruption. I believe there is significant room for innovation and I encourage the Government to play its part in driving that.”

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