/
Essential cookies always run. Accepting also enables Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity. No advertising cookies — see our privacy policy.
Help to Buy Wales is a shared equity loan from the Welsh Government for new-build homes. See how it works, who can apply and how the loan is repaid.
Reviewed by David Sampson, Founder & Director · Created 20 October 2026 · Last reviewed 20 October 2026
TL;DR
Help to Buy Wales is a shared equity loan from the Welsh Government for buyers of new-build homes in Wales. The buyer pays a deposit of 5%, the scheme lends up to 20% of the price, and a repayment mortgage covers the rest. Applications are open until 31 March 2027 (GOV.WALES, accessed 20 Oct 2026).
The scheme is run for the Welsh Government by the Development Bank of Wales. Unlike the England scheme, which closed to new buyers, Help to Buy Wales has been extended several times, so the deadline and the price cap are worth checking on GOV.WALES before an application.
The equity loan is secured as a second charge behind the mortgage. It is a loan, not a grant, and the buyer owns the whole home from completion.
Help to Buy Wales is open to first-time buyers and home movers buying a new-build home in Wales as their only home. The price cap is £300,000, and homes sold through the extended scheme need an EPC rating of at least B (GOV.WALES, accessed 20 Oct 2026).
The home must be bought from a builder registered with the scheme, and buyers cannot rent it out or own another property alongside it. The buyer needs a repayment mortgage from a lender that accepts the equity loan, and affordability checks apply in the usual way.
Buyers in England, where the equity loan scheme has closed, have other routes such as shared ownership or First Homes. How the England scheme worked, and what replaced it, is set out in the guide to how Help to Buy works.
Help to Buy Wales equity loans are interest free at first, after which interest is charged on the original loan amount and rises each year. The loan must be repaid within 25 years, on a sale, or when the mortgage is repaid, and it can be repaid early (GOV.WALES, accessed 20 Oct 2026).
Repayment is the same share of the home's market value at the time as the share originally borrowed. A part repayment is allowed if the remaining balance stays at or above 5% of the market value, and an independent RICS valuer must confirm the value (GOV.WALES, accessed 20 Oct 2026).
Changes such as a remortgage, a transfer of ownership or non-cosmetic alterations need the scheme's permission. Arrears must be cleared, or cleared at the same time, before a part repayment can go ahead.
To apply for Help to Buy Wales, a buyer reserves a home with a participating builder, appoints a conveyancer and an independent financial adviser, and submits the scheme application form. The scheme then issues an authority to proceed before the buyer exchanges contracts and completes (GOV.WALES, accessed 20 Oct 2026).
A mortgage in principle from a lender that accepts the equity loan helps confirm the budget before the reservation. Builders publish which plots qualify, and the price must be within the cap.
Lenders differ on how they treat the equity loan in affordability checks and on the loan-to-value they offer. How lenders compare on Help to Buy cases is set out on the Help to Buy lenders page.
Important: Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute financial advice.Always verify details directly and seek independent advice before making financial decisions.