A smarter path to home ownership

Hazel was born in Zimbabwe. Following the parliamentary elections held in 2000, which were marred by localised violence and claims of electoral irregularities, Hazel left Zimbabwe with her family to seek a safer and more stable life in the UK.

Without a UK credit history Hazel had no choice but to rent a property. Despite the fact that she sold her house in Zimbabwe and received the proceeds of the sale, this was still an insufficient deposit to allow Hazel to buy a family home.

Hazel made many attempts to secure a mortgage. She had never defaulted on her rental payments, but many banks and building societies refused her a mortgage due to her lack of credit history and insufficient deposit.

In Zimbabwe Hazel had worked as a Nurse, and in 2006 she qualified in the UK as a Midwife. Hazel has worked for the NHS, first as a Nurse and then as a Midwife, since arriving from Zimbabwe; and continues to do so.

Hazel continued to rent. Her and her family had to move many times over the years when properties were withdrawn from the rental market by landlords. Hazel rented for a total of 18 years with monthly rents varying between £800 and £1,050. Over 18 years Hazel paid out around £194,400 in rent.

Hazel is a hard-working, dedicated Nurse who has devoted her working life to giving to society, and the UK economy. In June 2018 Hazel applied for our Rent To Buy initiative. Hazel passed the credit check and within 6 weeks her Solicitor had carried out the necessary work to allow Hazel to collect the keys for the property and move in.

Hazel chose a property very close to her son's school and near the hospital where she works. She said that she thought she would never be given the opportunity to own her own home.

In Hazel's words: I pray that as many people as possible get to hear about this scheme. I really appreciate this opportunity. You (JT Consultancy) are a God-send. I am still in shock.

Following his divorce, Jeremy's ex-wife remained in the family home which meant that the asset that he had built up over a number of years was not available to him. Jeremy had no alternative but to enter the rental market.

Shortly after his divorce sadly Jeremy's mother died. Jeremy was left a lump sum which should have been sufficient to enter the Government's Shared Ownership Scheme. Jeremy was turned down for this scheme on two occasions; he was told that because he was in such a good position he would not qualify.

Jeremy worked as a fraud investigator. Unfortunately, he sustained injuries in the line of duty which took him some time to recover from and meant he had to give up his job and find alternative employment. Jeremy was a hard-working, dedicated Officer of the Law who has devoted his working life to improving society, whilst contributing to the UK economy.

Jeremy showed considerable determination in recovering from his injuries and finding alternative employment. He continued to rent, but relentlessly tried to find a method of owning his own home. Jeremy rented for a total of 3 years with a monthly rent of around £800. Over 3 years Jeremy paid out approximately £28,800 in rent.

In June 2018 Jeremy applied for our Rent To Buy initiative. He passed the credit check and within 6 weeks his Solicitor had carried out the necessary work to allow Jeremy to collect the keys for the property and move in.

Jeremy chose a property near his friends, and one which was close to the motorway for his commute to work. Jeremy said that he would never have had the opportunity to own his own home without this Rent To Buy initiative.

In Jeremy's words: It is phenomenal. I foresaw that I would be renting for the rest of my life. The scheme could not be better for me.

Nancy was born in the Philippines. She left 10 years ago for a life in the UK. Without a UK credit history Nancy had no choice but to rent a property.

Before joining the Rent To Buy initiative, Nancy had rented in the UK for 10 years. She had to move several times over the years; her last property in Golders Green was damp, and despite her requests the landlord did nothing to rectify this.

Nancy rented for a total of 10 years with a monthly rent averaging £925. Over 10 years Nancy paid out around £111,000 in rent. Nancy is a hard-working, dedicated Maternity Nurse who has devoted her working life to giving to society, and the UK economy.

In July 2018 Nancy applied for our Rent To Buy initiative. She passed the credit check and within 6 weeks her Solicitor had carried out the necessary work to allow Nancy to collect the keys for the property and move in.

Nancy has a son who is currently living with relatives in the Philippines. Securing the Rent To Buy property has enabled Nancy to arrange for her son to join her in the UK. He will start school in England in September 2018. She said that she never thought that she would have the chance to own a property.

In Nancy's words: It is a dream come true.