The Untold

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The Untold: The New Build

The New Build

BBC Radio 4 - The Untold, The New Build

For Greg and David, Covid-19 building delays might mean they lose their first home.

Greg and David are trying to buy their first home. It's a new build property, but it's nowhere near built due to Covid-19 building delays. And they are up against a deadline.

Greg and David are desperate to get on the ladder. They rent a small flat together in Greater Manchester and have spent the last year of lockdowns living on top of each other. The dream is to get somewhere with a bit more space. A place of their own. 

It feels beyond their budget until they realise they can afford a new build house under the government’s Help To Buy scheme. The scheme works as an equity loan, where the government loans the buyer 20% of the house price to go toward the deposit. The buyer only needs to contribute 5% from their own savings. Which suddenly makes it doable for Greg and David.

In August last year, their Help To Buy application was approved, and their offer on a house was accepted. It was a dream come true. 

The thing is, the house is still not built. Across the country, construction sites face inevitable delays to the new coronavirus measures. And on top of that, the current Help To Buy scheme is soon to close. There’s no way they can afford the house without the scheme. So the question is: will the house be built in time?

Produced in Bristol by Becky Ripley.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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