Guide
How to apply
If you want to apply for funding through the Help to Buy scheme, you first need to contact a participating home builder.
After you have done this, you will need to speak to either a lender directly or to an independent financial adviser, who will discuss your current financial position and your ability to obtain a mortgage.
There are currently 16 lenders offering mortgages for the Help to Buy scheme:
- Bank of Scotland
- Barclays
- The Cumberland Building Society
- Glasgow Credit Union
- Halifax
- Kensington Mortgages
- Leeds Building Society
- Lloyds Bank
- The Mortgage Lender
- Nationwide
- Precise Mortgages
- Scotwest Credit Union
- Skipton Building Society
- TSB
- Vida Homeloans
- Virgin Money
You will then need to reserve the home and get a full reservation agreement by the builder. You may need to pay a reservation fee to do this.
After this, you should apply for funding through the adminstering agent for your area.
| Area | Administering agent |
|---|---|
| Highland Shetland Islands |
Highland Residential (part of Albyn Enterprises Limted) 68 MacLennan Crescent Inverness IV3 8DN 01463 701 271 |
| Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Moray |
Grampian Housing Association Limited Huntly House 74 Huntly Street Aberdeen AB10 1TD 0800 121 4496 |
| Edinburgh East Lothian Eilean Siar (Western Isles) Midlothian West Lothian Scottish Borders Fife Angus Clackmannanshire Dundee Falkirk Orkney Islands Perth & Kinross Stirling Glasgow East Renfrewshire Renfrewshire East & West Dumbartonshire Inverclyde North & South Lanarkshire North, South & East Ayrshire Argyll & Bute Dumfries & Galloway |
Link Homes Watling House Callender Business Park Falkirk FK1 1XR 08450 020 163 |
After you complete the form and send it to an agent, they'll assess your application and let you know if you're eligible for assistance through the scheme.
If you're eligible
If the agent assesses that your application is eligible, they'll send you an 'Authority to Proceed' (ATP), which confirms your eligibility and lets you go ahead with the purchase.
Your solicitor will then check to make sure the mortgage offer, property price and the funds you have are all valid under the terms of the Authority to Proceed.
Once everything's been checked and the purchase is ready to complete, your solicitor will gather:
- the funds from your mortgage lender
- the Scottish Government's contribution
- the deposit you're paying
They will then use these funds to pay the builder the purchase price of the home and complete the deal. Once the deal is complete, you can move in.
The missives (solicitor letters negotiating the sale with the builder) must be completed within three months of the date stated on your Authority to Proceed letter. You must move into your home within nine months of this date.