matters HousingJanuary/February 2014 | www.gov.uk/housing-for-service-personnel-and-families YOUR TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN HOUSING STARTS HERE featured AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEMES IN SCOTLAND Housing Options Scotland Scottish Veterans Residences One Day Housing Briefings 2014 THE MAGAZINE OF THE JOINT SERVICE HOUSING ADVICE OFFICE matters CONTENTS HousingJanuary/February 2014 | www.gov.uk/housing-for-service-personnel-and-families 4 AFFORDABLE HOUSING matters Happy New Year to all our readers. SCHEMES IN SCOTLAND lies The start of the year always feels like the January/February 2014 | www.gov.uk/housing-for-service-personnel-and-fami HousingING STARTS HERE YOUR TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN HOUS turning of a new page. This is particularly featured true for JSHAO this year as before the AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEMES IN break we said a sad farewell to some of SCOTLAND Housing 6 HOUSING OPTIONS SCOTLAND Options our staff who are based at Upavon. Now Scotland Scottish it is time to welcome the new people who Veterans Residences will move the office to Aldershot when we One Day Housing Briefi ngs 2014 relocate in the spring. 12 HOUSING IN SCOTLAND Moving and relocation is always a turbulent time and along with the practical elements of planning a move OFFICE THE MAGAZINE OF THE JOINT SERVICE HOUSING ADVICE there are the emotional ties to contend 14 SCOTTISH VETERANS with as well. Service families are often used to frequent moves but that doesn’t make it any easier. Indeed, as time goes on, for some, it gets harder. Leaving RESIDENCES behind the people and places that you know well, trust and understand is a wrench. But looking forward with optimism to the opportunities to meet new people, develop new skills and learn new ideas to grow as individuals are positive thoughts to hold on to. regulars For some of these reasons Service families think about buying a ‘forever’ home to settle the family and enable children to attend one school while the Serving MOD news member of the family ‘lives in’ during the week and travels home at weekends. Regional Prices To assist with house purchase the UK Government has given the Armed Forces priority status for their Affordable Housing Schemes. This issue is focusing on Contacts house purchase in Scotland and the various Schemes are listed in detail. Sales Lists The dates for the 2014 Civilian Housing Options Briefing programme have jshao staff been finalised. The details are on page 22. Although the JSHAO Housing Telephone Numbers: Briefings are held at Regional Resettlement Centres and are included as part 01980 61 + last 4 digits of extension of the resettlement Programme we encourage people to attend at any stage or Mil 94344 + Ext of their career if they are considering civilian housing. We also welcome attendance by spouses and partners as housing is often a joint decision. Ext Paula Jones OIC 8835 Paula Jones, Kay Bayliss Senior Housing Advice Officer 8925 OIC JSHAO Philip Arundel Housing Advice Officer 8004 Flight Sergeant Rachel Preston Office Manager 5520 Vacant Housing Advisor 1 5807 Vacant Housing Advisor 2 5808 Vacant MOD Referrals 8219 Published for The Joint Service Housing Advice Office by Method Publishing, Sutherland Press House, Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland KW10 6RA Telephone (01408) 633871 Fax: (01408) 633876 Vacant Asst Housing Advisor 8925 email: [email protected] to whom all enquiries regarding advertising should be addressed. Fax: 8068 Design and Typography: Method Publishing 2013 Editorial Matter: ©Crown Copyright 2013 Email: [email protected] No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in this magazine can be accepted by the Website: www.gov.uk/housing-for-service- Publishers or Printers or by the Ministry of Defence. Advertisements are accepted on the express condition personnel-and-families that the advertiser warrants that they in no way contravene the provisions of the Trades Descriptions Act 1968 nor any other prevailing legislation in the United Kingdom. The Joint Service Housing Advice Office, The Publishers reserve the right to refuse acceptance of any advertisement, either before or after receipt of Building 183, Trenchard Lines, Upavon, copy, without stating a reason. Wiltshire, SN9 6BE matters Housing www.gov.uk/housing-for-service-personnel-and-families | January/February 2014 3 AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEMES IN SCOTLAND Last month I focused it. When you buy a shared equity When you sell your home (or partners of service personnel for on Affordable Housing home from a housing association earlier if you want to increase your up to two years after their partner Schemes in England and or on the open market you pay stake), the Government and the has been killed whilst serving in Wales. As promised here for the majority share in it and private house builder will each the armed forces. are the details for the the Scottish Government pays the receive the value at the time of Schemes that are available rest under an agreement which it sale of the percentage equity The minimum equity stake that in Scotland. enters into with you. You own the stake funded. If, for example, buyers must take in a property is home outright, but the Scottish the Government and the private 60 per cent and the maximum The Scottish Government offers Government holds a security over house builder each fund 15 equity stake is 90 per cent. several schemes to help you the proportion of it has funded. per cent of the purchase price, Lenders normally require buyers to become a homeowner where that When you later sell your home when the property is sold the provide a modest deposit. is affordable for you. The best (or earlier if you want to increase government and the house builder scheme for you will depend on your stake), the Government will will each receive 15 per cent of The New Supply Shared your own circumstances and you receive the value at the time of the sales value of the property. Equity Scheme helps first-time are encouraged to speak to your sale of the percentage equity buyers to buy a new build home lender or an independent financial stake funded. If, for example, the The Open Market Shared from a housing association. The advisor before you apply to one of Government funds 30 per cent Equity Scheme helps first-time New Supply Shared Equity with the schemes. Some schemes are of the purchase price, when the buyers to buy a home on the Developers Scheme (NSSE with open to all home-owners; others property is sold 30 per cent of open market where it is affordable Developers) aims to help people are only available to first-time the sale value of the property for them to do so. The scheme on low-to-moderate incomes buyers. will be returned to the Scottish is currently open to help all first to become homeowners in a Government. time buyers. Priority access will balanced and sustainable way Low Cost Initiative for First be provided to priority group where it is affordable for them Time Buyers (LIFT) When you buy a LIFT shared applicants which include social over the long term. NSSE with Three different LIFT shared equity equity home from a private house renters (in other words, people Developers also helps support schemes help first-time buyers on builder, you also own the home who rent a property from either Scotland’s house building industry low to moderate incomes to own outright, but the Government a local authority or a housing and sustain construction jobs. a home. and the private house builder will association), disabled people, jointly fund an interest-free equity members of the armed forces, Buyers should be aware that they What is shared equity? loan for you and each hold a veterans who have left the armed will own the property outright Shared equity is a way to buy a security over the proportion of forces within the past two years, and the interests of the Scottish home without having to fund all of your home they have funded. and widows, widowers and other Government and the developer will be secured by a mortgage This table will help you decide which scheme might be able to help you. (or a ‘standard security’ as it is known in Scotland) on the property. The separate Shared I own a home I am a first-time buyer Equity Agreements that you enter LIFT Open Market � (to buy a home within into with Scottish Ministers and Shared Equity certain price thresholds on the the developer are for a 19 year open market) period. LIFT New Supply Shared � (to buy a new-build home Equity Scheme from a housing association) The New Supply Shared LIFT New Supply Shared Equity � (to buy a new-build home Equity with Developer with Developer Scheme from a participating developer) Scheme helps first-time buyers Shared ownership � to buy a new-build home from a participating home builder. Under � � Help to Buy (Scotland) Scheme (if you do own another home, the New Supply Shared Equity you are expected to sell this before scheme, the Scottish Government you purchase a home under the scheme) gives grants to registered social landlords – normally a housing � � MI New Home Scheme (if you do own another home, association or housing co-operative you are expected to sell this before – to help them build or buy you purchase a home under the scheme) new homes for sale. A brochure Low-cost for First Time Buyers Help to Buy Mortgage Visit the gov.uk website listed at the end of this article Initiative: New Supply Shared Guarantee scheme for more information. Equity available on the Scottish matters 4 January/February 2014 | www.gov.uk/housing-for-service-personnel-and-families Housing AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEMES IN SCOTLAND Government website contains more The Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme property with an MI New Home Scheme detailed information.