Felbridge residents with Mid Sussex connections able to own homes without savings

The scheme made eight new affordable Rent to Buy homes near Felbridge available on Martins Mead, an Abbey Developments site.

Mid Sussex District Council said that, under this model, private finance funds new affordable housing at no cost to the local council.

Mid Sussex MP Mims Davies joined district councillors recently to welcome families to the new homes.

She said: “These homes are life changing for the tenants moving in and are an inspiration for those who are aspiring to buy but may be finding it difficult to save for a deposit. Mid-Sussex District Council and Rentplus are doing something quite forward thinking.”

Six two-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom houses were available and all of them have fenced gardens and a secure bicycle storage. The applicants all had to have previously lived in Mid Sussex or have connections to the district.

More than 100 people applied for the Rentplus homes and all the tenants are key or essential workers. The council said six had previously lived in social housing properties and the remaining two were on MSDC’s Housing Register.

At the opening, Emma George, South East area director at Rentplus, said: “We’re excited to be offering Rentplus homes in Mid Sussex, to offer local homes for local people, enabling hard working people to stay living in the communities they grew up in.”

Mid Sussex District Councillor Robert Salisbury said: “It is wonderful to see new homes being provided to help local people move towards home ownership.”

The tenants move into their homes without having to pay an upfront deposit. They will pay an affordable rent based on the Local Housing Allowance for five years while they live in the home, saving up to buy it and building a good credit history. They choose whether to buy after five, ten, 15 or 20 years and when they are ready to purchase Rentplus gift them ten per cent of their home’s value to reduce the mortgage.

Mims Davies and Robert Salisbury also joined the households to plant a sweet cherry tree as part of the Queen’s Jubilee Canopy.