Help to Buy mortgage brokers in Blackpool
2 independent, FCA-authorised advisers covering Blackpool and the wider North West area who handle Help to Buy mortgage cases. Contact them directly — we never sell your details.
Help to Buy mortgages in Blackpool: what to know
The Help to Buy equity loan scheme closed to new applications in England in 2023, but a large number of households in Blackpool still hold one and need advice on remortgaging, staircasing or repaying it. Shared ownership and the mortgage guarantee scheme continue to serve a similar purpose for buyers with smaller deposits. Advice here is mostly about managing an existing equity loan rather than obtaining a new one.
- Help to Buy equity loans were interest-free for the first five years. After that, interest begins and rises annually, which catches out households who have not planned for it.
- You repay a percentage of the property's value, not the original cash amount, so a rise in value increases what you owe.
- Not every lender offers remortgage products that sit alongside a Help to Buy equity loan, which narrows your options at the point you most want to switch.
- Repaying the loan requires a RICS valuation, and there is a fee, so plan the timing rather than being forced into it.
What matters locally in Blackpool
The central and South Shore districts contain streets of former boarding houses converted into flats and bedsits, much of it now private rented. Bispham, Marton and Stanley Park are more settled owner-occupier suburbs with interwar semis, and Lytham and St Annes to the south are a distinctly higher-value market. Poulton and Thornton draw families out of the town. Coastal exposure means salt-air deterioration on older render and roofs is common, and some low-lying areas carry flood-risk considerations. Flats above commercial premises are widespread along the main roads and are a recurring source of declined applications.
- Small buy-to-let purchases, where low entry prices make the rental cover calculation straightforward but lender appetite for the stock type is the real constraint.
- Adverse-credit applications, which specialist lenders price on the age and severity of the credit event rather than declining outright.
England
Buying here follows the England and Wales process: you pay Stamp Duty Land Tax on the purchase, with a surcharge on second homes and buy-to-let, and neither side is committed until contracts are exchanged. Most flats are leasehold, so the length of the lease, the ground rent and service charge, and any outstanding cladding or fire-safety paperwork all affect which lenders will accept the property as security. A broker will usually ask about the tenure before anything else when you are buying a flat.
Is Blackpool a good place to buy to let?
The rent-to-price relationship generally works well for lenders' interest coverage tests. The complications are on the property side rather than the arithmetic: converted guest houses, bedsit accommodation, flats above commercial premises and low-value units all narrow lender choice, and selective licensing applies in parts of the town. A broker who places this kind of stock regularly saves considerable time.
Questions worth asking a help to buy broker
- Can I still apply for Help to Buy in Blackpool?
- The Help to Buy equity loan scheme closed to new applications in England in 2023. Shared ownership and lender products aimed at 5% deposits are the closest equivalents now available.
- How do I remortgage with a Help to Buy equity loan in place?
- You can remortgage while keeping the equity loan, but the pool of lenders is smaller than for a standard remortgage. You will need consent from the equity loan administrator, which takes time and should be started early.
- When do I start paying interest on the equity loan?
- Interest starts in year six at 1.75% of the outstanding loan, rising each year thereafter. It is charged on the loan, and paying it does not reduce the amount you owe.
- Can I repay part of the equity loan?
- Yes — this is called staircasing, and you can usually repay in tranches of 10% or more. You will need a RICS valuation, because you repay a share of the current value rather than the original sum.