Affordable housing

There is not enough affordable housing being constructed to meet current demand; and as the number of households in London grows, demand for affordable housing will increase.

Essential workers are being priced out of town, and this having an impact on staffing for vital services such as health, transport, policing and education.

Here we highlight some of the measures that have been taken to address this shortage and help ensure safe, adequate housing for all Londoners. The Housing and homeless section will tell you what the Mayor is doing about affordable housing in London.

Housing for key workers

Teachers, nurses and other medical staff, social workers, policeman, fire officers and other essential staff - collectively known as key workers - may earn too much to qualify for social housing. But most earn too little to afford to buy a home by themselves in London.

The Key Worker Living scheme, from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister focuses on those delivering front line public services, such as health workers and teachers, where there are significant recruitment and retention issues. It extends housing assistance to key workers at different life-stages, not just first time buyers.

Designed to help key workers in London, the South East and East of England to buy a home, upgrade to a family home or rent a home at an affordable price, the following help is available under the scheme

' Equity loans' of up to £50,000 to help key workers buy a home on the open market or a new property built by a registered social landlord.
Higher-value equity loans of up to £100,000 for a small group of school teachers with the potential to become leaders of London's education system in the future.
Shared-ownership of newly built properties. (You buy at least 25 per cent of the home and pay a reduced rent on the remaining share).
'Intermediate renting' where the rent is set at a level between that charged by social and private landlords.

The ODPM's website contains the following information, including:

Who can benefit
What is available
Who do I contact
Questions and answers

The Key Worker Living website will tell what is available in your area and who to contact.

Further information for key workers

Guardian Unlimited for more on key workers and the Key Workers Living scheme.
Keystart Housing Association offer a number of schemes aimed at key workers such as teachers, health workers and other essential public services.
Metropolitan Home Ownership - the specialist low cost home ownership arm of the Metropolitan Housing Trust Group operating schemes for key workers.
Tower Homes - operates schemes that are specifically directed at first time buyers and those who cannot afford to buy a home outright.
Moat Housing Group - offers both affordable home ownership and sub-market rent schemes for key workers.
London Strategic Housing (LSH) is a charitable housing association that works in partnership with the NHS and other keyworker employers to provide quality affordable homes for rent across London.
Unite is a specialist provider of accommodation services for students and NHS key workers.
Teachers Housing Association is a non-profit making charitable organisation providing rented accommodation for people in housing need, particularly those associated with education.

Affordable Home Ownership Schemes

A number of schemes promoting low cost home ownership are available through registered social landlords (RSLs) - such as shared ownership, homebuy schemes, Right to Acquire and Voluntary Purchase Schemes.

Right to Acquire (RTA) - gives eligible tenants of RSLs a legal right to buy the home they currently rent at a discount. Tenants are always required to contribute 50 per cent of the purchase price. The scheme only applies to RSL properties built or purchased with public funds or transferred from a local authority after 1 April 1997. Some properties are exempt from RTA including those in small rural settlements and sheltered housing.
Under the Voluntary Purchase Scheme tenants of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) whose properties do not qualify for the statutory Right to Acquire scheme, may be able to buy the home they rent at a discount.
the Homebuy scheme helps people to buy a home on the open market The scheme, operated by selected registered social landlords in England, is open to existing tenants of registered social landlords and local councils, or those on housing waiting lists who are nominated by their local council as being in housing need.
the Shared Ownership scheme: through which you buy a share of the property and pay a rent on the remaining share you do not own. This scheme is intended for people who cannot afford to buy a suitable home in any other way. They must be in housing need and be unable to afford outright purchase. Priority will normally be given to existing public sector tenants or those on local authority or social landlords’ waiting lists.

For further information on these schemes contact or for a list of RSLs running the scheme contact the Housing Corporation's London office.

One way in to Shared Ownership is to register with Available Homes.

Cash Incentive Scheme (CIS)

Local authorities have specific powers to run Cash Incentive Schemes (CIS) giving grants to help their tenants buy homes on the open market. These grants enable local authorities to create vacancies in their stock that can then be used to house homeless families and others in housing need.

There is not currently any central funding for CIS and so local authorities must fund schemes from their own capital resources. It is up to each local authority to decide whether to run a CIS scheme and tenants have no mandatory right to a grant.

For further information about cash incentive schemes contact your local authority.

Shared Ownership swapping

You can swap your shared ownership property for an equivalent if you want to move like you can with council houses. See Homeswap.

Housing

Who does what

Where to live

Renting and letting

Buying and selling a home

Freedom of information

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