select
select
select
select

Contact

  • Phone:
    020 8502 5758
    Opening times:
    Head Office Monday to Friday 9am - 5.30pm
    (Please note that flexible viewing times are available including weekends)

Key Documents

Jonathan Burch

Jonathan Burch, 30, has been living in London for eight years, sharing rented flats with friends. He was keen to buy a place of his own, but struggled to find anything he could afford.

“I work in computer graphics for an architectural firm,” he says. “Getting a mortgage big enough for a flat in London was always going to be difficult, but I really wanted to have my own space after sharing for so many years.”

A friend had bought a part-buy/part-rent property a few years earlier, and told Jonathan about the scheme. Although he is not a key worker, Jonathan was still eligible to buy under the New Build HomeBuy scheme. Anyone with an income of up to £60,000, and who cannot afford to buy on the open market can take advantage of the scheme, buying a share of a property and paying rent on the remainder.

“I signed up online and was sent information about various developments,” says Jonathan. “I liked the look of Timber Wharf, through One Housing Group, so I went to have a look. It was the first property I’d been to see, and I loved it.”

Timber Wharf is a new development of 87 flats set on Regent’s Canal in Hackney, east London. Jonathan bought a 25% share of a £250,000 one-bedroom flat, which means he pays a mortgage of £450 a month, plus £470 in rent for the remainder, including the service charge.

“It’s a great location, and I work in east London, so it’s ideal for me,” says Jonathan. “The flat is very bright, with a big kitchen and lounge, and it just feels really nice and relaxing.”

Buying a property can be stressful, but the process moved swiftly for Jonathan – he moved in around two months after seeing it for the first time.

“One Housing Group helped me with the paperwork, and gave me information about solicitors, and helped me sort out a mortgage,” he says. “It made the whole process very smooth. Everything happened so quickly, it actually caught me off-guard a bit. I wasn’t expecting it to be so fast.”

Although Jonathan was buying during a difficult time for the housing market, he is confident about his choice.

“I was a bit worried about the market, but the flat is an investment,” he says. “I know I’ve got this now, and as long as I still have my job, there’s no problem. If I were renting on my own, a similar place would cost the same, and at least now I’m investing in my own property.”

“It’s completely changed the way I live. I can go about my own business, do what I want, and I don’t have to share my space. It’s definitely been worth it.”