Affordable housing in St Helens

There are several different types of affordable housing in St Helens borough. The council is working with social landlords to increase the supply of rented and affordable homes to buy. When looking for a home, it is worth understanding the different options and checking back for updates.   

Rented affordable housing

St Helens Borough Council no longer owns homes in St Helens. There are nearly 18,000 homes for general needs and supported housing owned by housing associations. Around 800 general needs homes may become available for rent each year. These are allocated through Under One Roof, a choice based lettings system. Applicants need to be registered on Under One Roof where they are placed in priority bands according to the level of their housing needs. The council has decided how applicants should be prioritised through its allocations policy. 

At present there are two types of rent:

• Social rent - homes are let at below market rent by a registered provider. The rent level is calculated according to a formula based on property values and local earnings (target rent)
• Affordable rent - a more recent form of rented affordable housing. Homes are let at below market rent by a registered provider. The rent (including service charge) is set at up to 80% of the local market rent for an equivalent home.

Routes into home ownership

Several routes into affordable home ownership exist in St Helens borough. Types of low cost home ownership that can arise in St Helens are shared ownership, rent to buy and discount market sale.

Shared ownership

Shared ownership allows a customer to purchase a share of a home ranging from 10% to 75% and pay rent on the remaining share. This new shared ownership model sets the minimum share for purchase at 10%. Liability for repair and maintenance lies with the provider for the first 10 years.

The benefits of this scheme are that you would need to get a smaller mortgage to buy a share in the property and will also need a smaller deposit. You can increase your share of ownership as and when you can afford to - this is often called 'staircasing'. As your share increases, you will pay less rent. You can eventually own 100% of the property if you want to, at which point you will pay no rent at all.

Rent to buy

Homes are let to working households at a cost below market rental prices giving them the opportunity to save for a deposit to buy their first home. This can benefit people who have struggled to save while paying a full market rent. The rent (including service charge) is set at or below 80% of the market rent for an equivalent home for at least five years to allow a tenant to save for a deposit or purchase sooner via shared ownership. 

Discount market sale

This may be available on new sites developed for market housing. On some sites it is a condition of planning permission that a percentage of homes are for affordable housing. The developer may choose to meet this condition by selling some of the homes to people who are eligible for affordable housing with a discount of 20 to 30% on the full market price.  This discount is passed on every time the home is sold. 

You can read more about affordable home ownership at ownyourhome.gov.uk which describes several other national initiatives, including the lifetime ISA, which may assist with buying a first home.