Government extends Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

• 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.

The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will be extended by a year to the end of December 2023, helping people with 5% deposits on to the property ladder.

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 £500,00 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.

Notes to editors

Other government home ownership options available include:

• Help to Buy ISA scheme: A savings product to support first-time buyers who choose to save through a Help to Buy: ISA will be eligible for a government bonus of up to £3,000.
• Lifetime ISA (LISA): A long-term savings product to support younger people to save for a first home or for later life.
• Shared Ownership: Gives first time buyers the option to buy a share of their home (between 25% and 75%) and pay rent on the remaining share.
• First Homes: A new scheme designed to help local first-time buyers and keyworkers onto the property ladder, by offering homes at a discount of 30% compared to the market price.