Help-to-buy (Welsh government) rental problem

marliepanda

So the crux of our problem, is this: at the outset, it appears the Welsh government prohibits individuals from renting their homes on the Help-to-Buy scheme. We can confidently assume that this is because they wish to use their scheme to help first-time-buyers onto the property ladder. For my boyfriend, around two years after initially signing up for the property at POS, his circumstances have clearly changed considerably.

So let another ftb have it...

Moving in with a girlfriend is not a 'considerable' change of circumstances.

Becoming disabled. Having to leave the country for work. Giving birth to triplets. All possible reasons to need to leave a house. Moving in with a girlfriend is not.

jibbyboo

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate what you're saying and given the nature of some of the replies, I feel I should chime in at this point and state that we don't think we're invincible because we happen to be in a relationship, and should therefore be given special treatment. What we're looking for is whether there has ever been flexibility demonstrated in the past, as neither of us would have envisaged being in a position to (or in fact ever wanting to!) be in a property with another individual.

silvercar

Would there be any issue with him renting out his spare room? and notionally still living in the property while spending a high proportion of time at yours?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

silvercar wrote: »

Would there be any issue with him renting out his spare room? and notionally still living in the property while spending a high proportion of time at yours?

Presumably they would only get a few hundred quid a month as opposed to nearer a grand....

jibbyboo

Thanks for the positive response @silvercar! In theory, that could work! One of the issues we're having at present is organising finances, and constantly having to transfer money from one person to another, so that side of things would still be prohibited. Still certainly a consideration

moneyistooshorttomention

marksoton wrote: »

Depends on his contract but i can't see you having much joy.

HTB is designed to get people on the property ladder not provide them with an investment opportunity after one year.

Getting a new girlfriend is hardly a considerable circumstance change.

I would tend to agree with this.

The Welsh Assembly is doubtless working on the same basis as the Government - and this is designed to help people "get on the ladder". I can't see this being a goer of an idea I'm afraid.

jibbyboo

I agree @moneyistooshorttomention. It was just exceptionally poor timing for us!

moneyistooshorttomention

Luck of the draw basically.

I had a "transferable discount" back many years back now and was able to exercise a "right to buy" and not go against my conscience and remove a unit of housing from the public sector. Chances to suit one's finances AND one's conscience are rare indeed....and I took it.

I knew what the deal was. I accepted it. End of story as far as I was concerned and if my personal circumstances had changed during the "payback period" in effect - then that would have been down to me personally to deal with.

As it is - I just "thanked my lucky stars" that for the only time in my life to date I had had a bit of "good luck". That's how the cookie crumbles...:cool: and it helped (a bit....:cool:) to counterbalance all the ways a single person is worse off compared to a married/living together person....

Sorry - but this thread is coming over as "have cake and eat it".......I dont mean to be harsh ...but...

Person_one

This really is one of the things buyers should consider before getting into one of these schemes. I know it's a bit late for your boyfriend, but if he was a young man actively dating/seeking to date, then this was always a possibility.

jibbyboo

Really appreciate your story @moneyistooshorttomention. Yes, both of us were living as single individuals for over a decade and are considerably more comfortable now. It really doesn't seem to be a fair economy for those people who are or choose to be single.
@person_one we were of the latter of the two above mentioned single types, so had no intention of ever cohabiting. Then, found each other and had a mutual understanding of desiring a single life- how circumstances can bizarrely change!!