The government has identified the need to concentrate investment, both public and private, in the provision of low-cost homeownership (LCHO) as first time buyers find it more and more difficult to access owner-occupation through traditional open market routes. New initiatives are concerned with increasing the role of private finance through equity mortgages as well as providing a range of shared ownership schemes aimed at key workers and pressure areas. This raises important issues for both private finance institution and government: the institutions are taking on new risks about which they know little, while government wishes to target assistance closely on those who cannot achieve owner-occupation in other ways.
Low Cost Home Ownership in Different Housing Markets, Report
This paper reports on a project looking at how the benefits and risks vary between areas under current schemes. Using secondary data from 1995 – 2004, the paper aims to identify key issues relating to the demand for existing low cost homeownership schemes.