PRESS RELEASE : Government extends Mortgage Guarantee Scheme [December 2022]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 20 December 2022.

• The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will be extended by a year, having already helped over 24,000 households get onto the property ladder
• Launched in April 2021, the scheme supports first-time buyers, who make up 85% of scheme transactions, buy a home with a 5% deposit
• The scheme is just one of the ways the government is helping people with home ownership

Under the scheme the government offers lenders the financial guarantees they need to provide mortgages that cover the other 95%, subject to the usual affordability checks, on a house worth up to £600,000.

Launched in April 2021, the scheme has already helped over 24,000 households. It was originally planned to close at the end of this year but will now be extended until the end of 2023.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen MP said:

For hard-working families facing today’s challenging economic conditions, it’s right that we continue to help them secure their first home or move into their dream house.

Extending this scheme means thousands more have the chance to benefit, and supports the market as we navigate through these difficult times.

Since 2010, more than 687,000 households have been helped into home ownership through government schemes. First time buyers often find it hard to save for a large deposit, and the mortgage guarantee has helped over 24,000 households (as of November 2022) overcome this barrier and secure the keys to a new home with a deposit as small as 5%.

As well as first time buyers and current homeowners, the scheme has also helped support the wider housing sector. Lenders reduced the availability of high LTV products during the Covid-19 pandemic, with just eight 95% LTV products available in January 2021. The government’s Mortgage Guarantee Scheme helped restore competition and consumer choice to the market, which has benefited businesses and boosted the market.

To also support people to get onto the property ladder, the government has increased the level where first-time buyers start paying stamp duty from £300,000 to £425,000. Furthermore, first-time buyers can get relief on properties costing up to £625,000, as opposed to £500,000 previously. Both of these measures are time-limited to April 2025.

The government has also continued to provide a range of other options to support home ownership and the wider housing sector. For example, the Help to Buy ISA and Lifetime ISA have collectively facilitated over 618,000 households get on to the property ladder.