Aspiring Law
30 December 2022, 7:50 PM
The dream of the quarter acre block may be getting harder to achieve but there are some programmes to help get you on the property ladder. We took some time out to investigate what was on offer.
The Queenstown Lakes Community Trust
Secure Home Programme
This programme is a lease scheme. The trust owns the land, and you buy a right to occupy the property for the cost of construction and a yearly ground rent. A 100-year lease provides a home for your lifetime with most of the benefits and obligations of a normal landowner except the ability to on sell the property. If you decide to move on, the trust will purchase back the property at the original purchase price with an inflation adjustment.
Rent Saver Programme
This scheme is designed to help you save a deposit to purchase your own home. It entails a five-year lease with rent at market value, you agree to a savings goal upfront. If you achieve the goal, the trust will match your savings of up to $2,600 each year. At the end of five years, you can apply to purchase the house you’re living in under the Secure Home Programme.
Kianga Ora
First Home Loan
Most banks today require purchasers to have a 20% deposit before they will approve lending, but the First Home Loan allows you to purchase a property with just 5% deposit. The loans are with participating banks only and underwritten by Kianga Ora.
First Home Grant (Homestart Grant)
If you’ve been in KiwiSaver for more than three years you could be eligible to receive $1,000 for each year you’ve contributed (up to a maximum of $5,000) from Kianga Ora. If the property is a newly built home or land to build on, you are eligible to receive $2,000 per year up to a maximum of $10,000. There are certain eligibility requirements:
First Home Partner
This is a shared ownership scheme to help buyers whose deposit and home loan together isn’t quite enough to purchase a property. Kianga Ora will assist you but it will retain a share in your property. For example, you save 10% of the purchase price and the bank will lend you 75%. That leaves a 15% gap. Kainga Ora will contribute the remaining 15% and retain a 15% share of home ownership with you. You will be obliged to buy Kianga Ora out to the property over time, with the deadline a maximum of 25 years.