Is there still a Help to Buy equivalent scheme in Wales in 2026?

Full answer

While the original Help to Buy equity loan scheme in England closed to new applications in 2023, the Welsh Government has continued to run its own separate Help to Buy – Wales scheme, funded and administered independently of the English programme, and it remains available (subject to periodic phase extensions and funding renewal by the Welsh Government) for buyers purchasing an eligible new-build home from a participating developer in Wales. Under the scheme, the buyer contributes a minimum 5% cash deposit, the Welsh Government provides an equity loan of up to 20% of the purchase price, and the buyer takes out a repayment mortgage for the remaining balance (typically at least 75% of the purchase price). The equity loan is interest-free for the first 5 years of ownership; from year 6 onwards, an annual fee applies, starting at 1.75% of the original loan amount and increasing each subsequent year in line with the Retail Prices Index plus 1%, giving buyers a clear incentive to repay or remortgage to clear the equity loan before these fees escalate materially. As with the previous English scheme, the equity loan is a genuine percentage stake in the property's value, not a fixed cash amount — so if the property's value rises before the loan is repaid, the amount owed to the Welsh Government rises proportionally too (and falls if the property's value falls), and repayment is normally required in full when the property is sold or the mortgage is repaid, though partial repayments ("staircasing") in minimum increments are usually allowed earlier. Help to Buy – Wales is subject to a maximum eligible property price cap (periodically reviewed) and is restricted to new-build homes from developers registered with the scheme, rather than being available on the open market generally. Use the Mortgage Affordability calculator to check what you could borrow against the remaining mortgage portion after the equity loan and deposit.

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