Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Housing Market: First-time Buyers

Monday 19 April 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Recent assessment shows 2018 and 2019 had the highest first-time buyer numbers since 2007, followed by a 14 percent drop in 2020 due to covid.
  • First-time buyers can use Help to Buy and shared ownership schemes, with defects fixed for the first ten years.
  • Government aims to support first-time buyers and ensure no one moves into homes with dangerous cladding through a building safety programme.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Karen Buck Lab
Housing
Context

The MP noted recent trends in first-time buyer activity and asked for an assessment of these trends, especially considering the impact of COVID-19.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of trends in the number of first-time buyers entering the housing market?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

In 2018 and 2019 we saw the highest and second-highest number of first-time buyers since 2007. With the effect of covid, 2020 saw a 14% decrease from the 2019 total. The Government are now redoubling their efforts to assist first-time buyers through schemes such as Help to Buy, shared ownership, and mortgage guarantee offering a 95% loan-to-value mortgage.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific numbers on how many first-time buyers are affected by leasehold property issues or why purchasers are left with the risk.

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Q2 Karen Buck Lab
Housing
Context

The MP highlighted issues first-time buyers face with new-build and leasehold properties, mentioning the need for developers to address defects within the first 10 years.

Question

How many first-time buyers are affected by leasehold property issues, and why is the purchaser still left carrying the risk?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

First-time buyers can use schemes such as Help to Buy, shared ownership with defects fixed for the first 10 years under new proposals, and the mortgage guarantee scheme allowing purchases with a 5% deposit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific numbers on how many first-time buyers are affected by leasehold property issues or why purchasers are left carrying the risk.

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Q3 Thangam Debbonaire Lab
Housing
Context

The MP questioned the justification for allowing new buildings with dangerous cladding and demanded measures to ensure first-time buyers do not move into homes with such defects.

Question

What is the justification for allowing new buildings with dangerous cladding, and what will be done to ensure no first-time buyer moves into a home with such issues?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

The Government is determined to support buyers, ensure more people get on the property ladder, and build better-quality homes through a world-class building safety programme.

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide justification for allowing dangerous cladding or specific measures to prevent first-time buyers from moving into homes with fire safety defects.

How: We Are Determined, We Have A Lot Of Policies

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