Help to Buy valuation

A Help to Buy valuation is an independent RICS surveyor's report on the market value of a home bought with an equity loan. Homes England uses that value to work out the sum due when the loan is repaid in full or in part (GOV.UK valuation guidance, accessed 20 Oct 2026).

The borrower chooses and pays for the surveyor. Valuations made for bank or mortgage purposes are not accepted, so the lender's own valuation for a remortgage does not replace the Help to Buy report.

The same rules apply whether the repayment comes from a sale, a remortgage or savings. A report that does not meet them can be rejected, and a new report then has to be paid for.

The surveyor must be RICS qualified and registered, independent of any estate agent, and not related or known to the owner, and must inspect the inside of the home. For the 2021 to 2023 scheme the surveyor must also be a RICS member or fellow (GOV.UK valuation guidance, accessed 20 Oct 2026).

The report must include at least three comparable sales from the last 12 months, of like-for-like homes within two miles, with market commentary explaining how they support the value (GOV.UK valuation guidance, accessed 20 Oct 2026). It must be signed and dated on headed paper, addressed to Homes England and supplied as a document that cannot be edited.

Homes England may reject a report that does not follow the instructions or looks too high or low against similar homes. Owners also need to tell Homes England about anything that may affect value, such as external cladding or a planning breach, before instructing a surveyor.

A Help to Buy valuation report is valid for three months from the date it was produced, and it must reach Homes England within five working days of being issued. If a repayment or remortgage has not completed in time, the report can be extended rather than redone (GOV.UK valuation guidance, accessed 20 Oct 2026).

Within two weeks of expiry, the same surveyor can issue a letter extending the report by one month, or a desktop valuation extending it by three months. A desktop valuation needs more comparable sales where the value has changed.

If the process still does not complete within the extension, a new full report is needed. Planning the valuation close to a remortgage offer or a sale agreement reduces the risk of it expiring.

The valuation figure reflects the home's condition, its size and type, and recent sales of similar homes nearby. Because the equity loan repayment is a percentage of that figure, a higher valuation raises the repayment and a lower one reduces it, which is why Homes England checks reports against local evidence.

New-build homes are often sold at a premium, so some owners find the current value is close to, or below, the original price. Others in rising markets see the sum owed grow well beyond the original loan.

How the valuation fits into a remortgage, and how lenders treat the result, is explained on the Help to Buy remortgage page. Interest on the loan, which the valuation does not change, is covered separately.