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Below are several Case Studies of individuals and families that have benefited from the Keyhomes east affordable housing schemes.

Please choose:	- A home in double-quick time
	- Quality at an affordable price
	- A helping hand onto the housing ladder
	- Help at hand for Mandy
	- A house to be proud of
	- First step on the property ladder



A home in double-quick time

New police recruit Simon Tyas was quick to get on the housing ladder once he’d heard about the help available. Simon was still doing his initial training when, by chance, he spotted the ideal flat. One phone call to Keyhomes East put him on the road to home ownership – and he couldn’t be happier. The 26-year-old police constable had found out about the Government’s Key Worker Living Programme through his employers within a couple of weeks of joining the force. “It was in my head from day one because I knew I couldn’t afford to buy my own place,” said Simon. He had been renting but, with his six-month tenancy due to run out soon, home ownership seemed more tempting. Being new to the housing market, Simon particularly appreciated the help he received from Keyhomes East. “I thought they were great,” he said. “They were always very professional and polite on the phone, and willing to answer any questions, even silly ones. Even after my sale, they answered all my questions.” Simon singled out Peter Cook, one of Keyhomes East’s sales and marketing officers, for special praise. “I was away when there was the open day to view the flats so I sent my parents to look around,” explained Simon. “Pete then came out specially to show me around and was very patient when I was trying to make up my mind about which flat to have.” Simon moved into the two-bedroom shared ownership flat with his girlfriend Sachiko in July. He is delighted with the brand new flat and the high specifications, from the ensuite bathroom down to the wooden flooring. “I was completely new to the whole process because I had never bought before,” he said. “It was nice looking around a new place rather than an old property.” The flat is also quiet, which is important as he sometimes works nights and needs to sleep during the day. Simon’s advice to other key workers is simple – get your application in as quickly as possible. “You then get all the information you need and get sent new information as properties become available. But it doesn’t commit you to anything.”




Quality at an affordable price

Key worker Sarah Irwin couldn’t believe how much she could be saving each month by buying a new shared ownership house. The 24-year-old PE teacher will be almost halving the amount she spends on rent when she moves into the brand new property in Stretham in Cambridgeshire. Sarah, who teaches 13-19-year-old students, has been renting in central Cambridge. With the lease due to run out, she decided one Sunday that it would be better to buy and not rent again. One quick surf on the Internet later and she had found Keyhomes East’s contact details. She had already heard about Keyhomes East from colleagues so she rang the next day. Sarah then found out that there was an open day being held on the following Saturday to view new properties being built in Stretham. When she went to look around, she was impressed. “The houses are lovely. I decided there and then,” she said. “It was all fate!” Apart from enjoying the quality of her new home, Sarah will also be financially better off when she moves in shortly. Her end terrace house comes complete with features she did not expect to find, including a downstairs toilet, laminate flooring and coving throughout. The house also has a large hall, stairs and landing, two good size bedrooms, a car port and a garden. “I have friends with three-bedroom houses that aren’t as spacious,” she said. She also appreciates all the finishing touches. “The attention to detail is good.” Sarah is particularly grateful to Sarah Hipkiss, one of the sales and marketing officers at Keyhomes East. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Keyhomes East. I have already recommended them to three of my friends,” she said. “Sarah has always been my key point of contact and she has assisted me all the way throughout.”




A helping hand onto the housing ladder

Teacher Lucy Howard says the assistance offered through Keyhomes East has been a ‘massive’ helping hand. The 28-year-old and her husband Jon are buying a two-bedroom shared ownership house in Monkston, Milton Keynes. Sarah says that they were particularly attracted by the quality of their new home. “We were really surprised because it feels roomy, not like some new houses which are very boxy,” she said. “It is light and airy, but I was really expecting it to feel small and cramped.” Sarah and Jon are currently living in rented accommodation in a village near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. They had no idea that an affordable home of their own could be round the corner until a friend mentioned Keyhomes East. “We weren’t looking for houses to buy because we didn’t think we could afford it,” she said. Sarah, who is now in her third year of teaching at Bourton Meadow Primary School in Buckingham, has a simple piece of advice for other key workers looking for an affordable home and not sure whether to apply for help. “Go for it.” The Howards’ new end terrace house is one of more than 500 homes being built in Milton Keynes by BPHA – of which Keyhomes East is a part – thanks to funding from the Government’s Challenge Fund 2. More than half of the properties are for key workers.




Help at hand for Mandy

Cambridgeshire County Council residential worker Mandy Start would not have been able to afford to buy a home in Cambridge outright. But the shared ownership scheme offered by Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (BPHA) under the Starter Home Initiative enabled her and her partner, also a residential worker, to buy a 50 per cent share in a 3-bedroom house in Cambourne, valued at around £170,000. They pay rent on the remaining 50 per cent. Mandy loves her job in a respite unit in Cambridge and wants to live and work in the same area. She saw the SHI scheme on the county council website and contacted BPHA – the organisation responsible for Keyhomes East which is the new ‘one-stop shop’ for providing access to affordable housing for key workers across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. She and her partner loved the first home they were invited to view and couldn’t believe it could be theirs. Mandy said: “We’d been renting and wasting £600 per month. We’re now paying about the same amount but it feels great to be able to say we own half of this lovely, brand new house. The rent on the other half is low, so it’s well worth it.” BPHA goes the extra mile in ensuring customers a hassle-free move, she added, saying: “I’ve been so impressed with BPHA. We have a photocopied booklet of every instruction relating to the items in our fitted kitchen, so if anything should go wrong, we could refer to it straight away. It’s those little things that make the difference between an average and excellent housing provider.”




A house to be proud of

Peterborough District Hospital porter Robert Ward had always wanted his own house, but there was no way he could afford a 100 per cent mortgage. A £20,000 Homebuy loan from Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association enabled him to buy the two bedroom house in Vergette Road he is now proud to call home. He said: “I was living with my family before and had considered a mortgage. But when I heard about this scheme, it seemed ideal. My monthly payments are a lot lower than they would have been with a 100 per cent mortgage. It makes a big difference as I’m on quite a low wage. “I’ve lived in flats and bed-sits, but to own my own home has given me such independence and I feel fortunate to have got some help to do it.” BPHA provided the loan through the Government’s Starter Homes Initiative. When a Homebuy property is re-sold, the owner repays the loan at 25 per cent of the sale value.




First step on the property ladder

It was primary school teacher Emma Nithsdale’s new year’s resolution to buy a house in 2004. But she hadn’t anticipated being able to buy a £90,000 home in Gunthorpe, Peterborough, so close to her school. A £20,000 equity loan from Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association helped her get her first step onto the property ladder and she is delighted. “It’s just me living here and it’s all mine – that’s why I love it. I had been living about 20 minutes away from school with my parents, and now I’m about seven minutes from work in a lovely home of my own, it’s brilliant. “I’ve told my colleagues and some other key worker friends about the scheme and I know it would really help them too. Their situations are the same as mine – having been to university and incurred so much debt makes buying a house anywhere, let alone close to work, really difficult. This scheme was an ideal solution.” BPHA provided the loan through the Government’s Starter Homes Initiative. The Key Worker repays a percentage of the property value when they sell the property. The percentage would be the same as the percentage of the purchase price there equity loan covered