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Rent to HomeBuy makes dream a reality for new family

Piotr and Aga Grabowski dreamt of owning their own home, but due to high property prices and high deposit requirements, they had to settle for renting a cramped, cold and draughty one-bedroom flat in the centre of Worcester. When baby Nikodem came along, they wanted to give him the best possible start in life so it became ever more important to find a good place to live.

When they discovered Brickfields – a West Mercia Housing Group development, just two miles from Worcester city centre – they never thought they’d be able to afford to live there. Piotr said: “We had friends living close to the development so we’d driven past many times admiring the new homes but we didn’t think it would be possible to have one for many years.”

Aga agreed: “Having moved from Poland to the UK, we were just beginning to get settled here. Piotr had a good job in an engineering factory but with our wedding and the birth of our son, we had many expenses.We never thought our dream of having a nice new home would become reality.”

Then they discovered that the homes were offered with Rent to HomeBuy. This product allows people to move into the property they want to purchase straight away as a tenant, with a view to purchasing it in the future using New Build HomeBuy. Rental is set at 20% less than the current market rental rate, which should enable clients to save up for a deposit.

They were delighted to find that they were eligible and are now happily settled in their new home. Piotr commented: “The house is in a perfect location for us: it’s in a quiet neighbourhood, close to work, local amenities and a nursery for Nikodem.”

As the largest HomeBuy Agent in England, Orbit HomeBuy Agents work closely with West Mercia Housing as well as other housing associations and developers in their areas of operation, and act as a first port of call for people interested in finding an affordable home of their own.

They may be able to help you, too. You could be first time buyers like Piotr and Aga, Key Workers, social housing tenants, or on a local authority waiting list – as long as your household income is less than £60,000 you could be eligible, too.