Property Buying Guide

Key Worker Homes

First of all, what is a key worker? To get an exact definition, contact your local HomeBuy agent, but in general terms you would have to be working as one of the following: police officer, fire officer, prison officer, be a nurse, midwife, occupational therapist or social worker, or a member of the armed forces in the lower, non-commissioned ranks. In other words you are essential to your community but in certain areas may not be earning enough to buy a home there.

This programme at the moment is predominantly available to key workers in certain parts of the country, such as London and the Home Counties, plus parts of Eastern England. You would need to contact your local Homebuy Agent for the area in which you live to discover whether you are eligible. and to obtain details of how the scheme works in your area.  

If you are a key worker you may be living in key worker accommodation or you may be a key worker renting privately.

Either way, there are a number of key worker schemes aimed at you. You can find out more about them and whether you might qualify for a key worker home by following the key worker living links below.

A number of first time buyer mortgages have been launched specifically for key workers - outside of the HomeBuy scheme. Seek mortgage advice to find out more about these targeted first time buyer key worker mortgages.

Main key Worker Homes Schemes:

• Open Market HomeBuy (shared equity)
• New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership)
• Right to Buy (the chance for local authority tenants to buy a property at a discount)
• Social HomeBuy
• English Partnerships programme
• Key Worker Initiative

If you are a key worker you may find that you are eligible for a specialist  key worker mortgage which can be used either within one of these schemes or indeed out side the HomeBuy key worker schemes. To find out, take key worker mortgage advice.

To find the best key worker scheme for you, and if you qualify for key worker properties, contact your local HomeBuy agent. 

• Keyworker mortgage advice
• Petition the government for better policies for first time buyers
• Buy a new property for a refundable £2500
• More about Key Worker Mortgages

Useful websites for keyworker homes:

www.communities.gov.uk – the government's main site with information about housing
www.direct.gov.uk – offers a range of government information and services, including for housing
www.housingcorp.gov.uk – for more information about housing associations

Some local key worker HomeBuy agents:

Key worker HomeBuy Agents  for key worker homes in London,  Northampton,  Birmingham,  Bristol,  Camden,  Croydon,  Dorset,  Essex,  Hampshire,  Kent,  Berkshire,  in Surrey,  Sussex,  Oxford,  Cambridge, Guildford, Canterbury, Maidstone, Bath, Watford, Bedford, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, York, Manchester, Liverpool, Hertfordshire,  Bedfordshire,  Scotland,  Edinburgh, Northern Ireland, Rest of UK


Most useful and most popular pages on this site:

Look for your First Property l Seek First Time Buyer Mortgage Advice l See our Best First Mortgages Comparison Table l Find out about First Time Buyer Mortgages l Find out How to Buy a House l Learn all about The First Time Buyer Mortgage l Shared Ownership