Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Help to Buy Scheme Supported Over 387,000 New-Build Purchases

Help to Buy assisted 387,278 households in purchasing a new-build home between 2013 and 2022, according to data from Homes England. Of these, 328,346 were first-time buyer households.

The scheme generated a return of £1.24 billion for the Exchequer from Help to Buy loans, with £218 million returned in the last year alone. By March 2026, 213,713 loans had been fully repaid, representing more than 55% of all loan accounts. Overall, returns on the Help to Buy equity loan book and interest income have resulted in around £1.74 billion of profit for the Exchequer to date.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has called on the government to introduce a replacement equity loan scheme. The Help to Buy scheme has recently been extended in Wales, with the government estimating it could help up to 400 more households. The HBF has suggested that a new scheme could focus solely on first-time buyers and require a developer financial contribution to reduce taxpayer costs.

The HBF noted that a lack of affordable mortgage lending and economic concerns are suppressing demand for new homes, which is constraining housing supply. In response, lenders have sought to widen their low-deposit and near-100% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage offerings.

For letting agents and inventory clerks, the ongoing discussions around government support for first-time buyers and new-build supply may impact future rental demand and the volume of new properties entering the market.