Rent to Buy (RTB) is a scheme designed by the government to help ease the transition between renting and buying a new home. While you might hear it called Rent to Save or Rent to Own, the scheme is the same.
Since Rent to Buy offers a number of unique benefits - including the opportunity to purchase the property you’re renting - it’s ideal for buyers that can’t save for a deposit but want to get on to the property ladder.
Below we explore the Rent to Buy process, how to apply for the scheme and explore the common questions around the rental and buying process:
How to Apply for Rent to Buy
Here are the steps you should take if you want to apply for Rent to Buy with Platform:
1. Register with Help to Buy
They’ll be able to assess your potential application, provide confirmation on whether you’re eligible and add you to their main database.
If you are based in the South of England, please contact:
Help to Buy Agent 3
Covering Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Bath, Somerset & Mendip, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire.
2. Get in Touch
Complete the 'Ask for Details' enquiry form on your ideal home and forward your Help to Buy reference, your application form, a form of ID and 3 months of bank statements/payslips/P60 to sales@platformhg.com.
3. Credit Reference Check
We refer you to a mandatory affordability assessment that ensures Rent to Buy is the right scheme for you financially.
With your consent, we send your details to a third-party letting agent that carries out a credit reference check - much like the traditional renting process.
4. Getting Ready to Move
If you pass this check, Platform will send you an offer letter for your chosen plot. Properties are allocated on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis and in the event of multiple applications for the same plot, we consider immediate housing needs.
At this point, you’ll sign an Options Agreement and arrange a viewing of the property, to ensure that you’re happy with the plot.
If you’re happy with the property, we help you complete the paperwork assigned with the tenancy and get you signed up.
5. Pay Your Deposit
At this point, you’ll pay the equivalent of five weeks' rent as a deposit, which is entered into the Deposit Protection Scheme.
6. Pay Your Rent
Following the deposit, you’ll also pay the rent for the remainder of the month from your tenancy sign-up date, as well as one month’s rent in advance. During this process, you’ll arrange a move-in date.
7. Move In
On move-in day, you’ll receive the keys and have access to your new home!