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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

Polly Eckles


Polly Eckles, 30, recently bought a flat of her own – something she once thought would be impossible in London.

“I’m a sales manager for a publisher,” she says. “I’d been renting places with friends for years, and many of those friends were starting to buy. But with the house prices as they were I thought I could never afford to do that on my own in London.”

A colleague at work had bought a flat on a part-buy/part-rent basis, and told Polly about it. By chance, Polly had noticed a development on her route to work – Kelday Heights, in Shadwell, east London. Properties there were for sale through One Housing Group, through the New Build HomeBuy scheme. Under the scheme, anyone with an income of up to £60,000, unable to afford a property on the open market can buy a share of a flat instead, paying rent on the remaining portion.

With house prices falling in the current market, buying a property through the shared ownership scheme began to seem like a reachable goal.

“I registered my interest and went to have a look,” says Polly. “It was the only place I ever saw, because I loved it. I paid a small retainer on the spot, and the flat was mine.”

Kelday Heights, is a development of one and two-bedroom flats with balconies, offering views across east London and the Thames. Polly bought a 35% share of a one-bedroom flat priced at £209,000, and pays rent on the remaining share.

“The whole process was very straightforward,” she says. “One Housing Group were very helpful and didn’t rush me when I went to look at the flat. I knew nothing about buying property, so I needed everything explained really carefully. Nobody made me feel stupid though. They also put me in touch with a financial advisor who helped me sort out a mortgage.”

Polly saw the flat in July 2008, and had moved in by November. Even though it’s been a difficult time for the housing market, she is sure she’s made the right decision.

“I bought at a time when interest rates were high, but if I’d waited longer, I might have had more trouble getting a mortgage,” she says. “So it’s swings and roundabouts. I have no plans to move – my only plan is to buy a greater share of this flat, so I’m not worried about the market.”

In the meantime, having her own place has made a world of difference. “Having turned 30, I felt I had to take the plunge, and I’m so glad I did,” says Polly. “I’m so happy here. I can walk to work, and it’s fantastic to come home and just have the freedom of owning my own place.”