If you’re looking to own your very own home, there are a number of ways that you can get help. One of those ways is through getting a shared equity home loan.

What is a shared equity loan?

In order to get a mortgage and buy a property, you need to put down a deposit. Shared equity allows you to get a loan that acts as part of your deposit.  Put simply, shared equity allows you to buy a property without paying a large deposit upfront – perfect for those people who want to buy a home of their own but don’t have the big lump sum.

Shared equity mortgages shouldn’t be confused with shared ownership schemes, where you buy a share of a home (usually between 25% and 75%) and pay rent to whoever owns the remainder.

Do I completely own a property if it’s bought through shared equity?

Yes. You own 100% of the property.

What happens when I sell a shared equity property? More...

Howells has launched a brand new Youtube channel. On it, we’ll be uploading videos to share our expertise on a number of different legal issues.

Check out our two newest video guides: helping you deal with issues to residential conveyancing and matrimonial law:

A guide to residential conveyancing with Rhian Davies

Howells’ property law expert Rhian Davies answers some of the most common issues that people encounter when buying and selling a property. How long does the process take? What are the different processes involved in buying and selling a house? Are legal fees payable if one party pulls out at the end of the process?

Rhian also discusses the cost of conveyancing and the service that you can expect to enjoy from a solicitor like Howells. Clients want the personal touch, done simply, from a conveyancer that they can trust and Howells’ residential expert explains why her company’s approach to conveyancing is so popular in South Wales and across the UK.

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Howells has won a prestigious Bronze award for its conveyancing service in the Estate Agency of the Year 2013 Awards.

The Awards, sponsored by The Times and The Sunday Times, saw Howells win third place in the Best Large Conveyancer category – becoming the highest placed solicitors in Wales and across South England. Taking place at the Lancaster London Hotel on Friday 6th December and hosted by TV presenter Penny Smith, the events recognised some of the UK’s leading estate agents and housing experts.

A panel of independent industry professionals judged Howells over a number of months. They contacted various offices, acting as ‘mystery shoppers’, and sought the opinion of both staff and customers. A spokesman from the Awards praised the training, procedures and systems that were in place at Howells to ensure that the conveyancing process was as effective as possible for customers. They said:

“Particularly impressive is the large number of referrals they receive from house builders, who require a committed 28 day turnaround on conveyancing. The fact that they trust Howells to achieve this for them speaks volumes as to the efficiency and quality of their service.” More...

If you’re struggling to scratch together the deposit to buy a home in Wales, then the Help To Buy scheme could be the assistance that you need. The new government regulation offers thousands of people across Wales the chance to own something that you can really call home.

What exactly is it? How does it affect people in Wales? 

What is the Help To Buy scheme?

Help To Buy consists of two separate initiatives which aim to make it easier for people to buy their own home. The two parts both present different ways for people with small deposits to find a mortgage in Wales. Those two parts are:

•    UK Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

•    Help To Buy Wales

The UK Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

Available for all properties across the UK up to a value of £600,000, this government initiative allows any first-time buyer or homeowner in the UK arrange a mortgage with a lender with a deposit of just 5%.  More...

So, you’ve done our Christmas Employment Law Quiz and made a note of your answers. Now, it’s time to find out if you were correct. Check out the answers below and mark your work. More...