New Build HomeBuy

– buying your homePage 2

In this issue:

Making a new house

your homePage 6

What does my housing

offi cer do?Page 8

ISSUE 01 2010Your guide to the homebuy ownership scheme

2

The Ladder your guide to the HomeBuy ownership scheme

Radian helps over 400 people every year become

homeowners. We develop affordable homes

across central southern England, one of the

most expensive areas to buy a home in the UK.

We also help people buy homes with equity loans in Hampshire and the south west of England.

We are looking for your involvement so please

feel free to give us your comments about The

Ladder. Drop me a line at editor@radian.co.uk

or call me on 023 8062 8158. We’d love to hear

from you.

Michael Luckie, Editor

Welcome to The Ladder, our biannual magazine for homeowners. The Ladder will keep you up to date

with every aspect of buying a house and creating a new home. We’ll have tips on decorating, advice

on funding and news about activities and events that you can get involved with.

We may have helped

you to purchase

your new home with

one of the many

low cost home

ownership schemes

under the HomeBuy

label. Some of you

will have bought

under the New Build

HomeBuy scheme,

which enables you

to buy an initial share

of between 25% and

75% of the property

and pay rent on the

remaining share you

do not own. Gradually

you can buy further

shares (known as

staircasing), and in

most instances own

your home outright.

Our New Build

schemes are built to

very high standards

set by the Homes and

Communities Agency,

providing superior

storage, design and

energy effi ciency than

many other house

builders.

HomeBuy is part of

the Government’s

‘Real Help Now’

initiative, which is

designed to lessen

the impact of the

fi nancial crisis.

New Build HomeBuy – buying your home

from you.

www.radian.co.uk

The Ladder – your guide to the HomeBuy ownership scheme

Watch out for benefi t changesArticle by our Benefi t Advice Team

Watch out for benefi t changes – they may affect YOU! The pension information is

particularly important for those who are not yet of pension age.

This advice is for information only. Our Benefi ts Advisers are skilled and experienced in welfare

benefi ts work but this article should not be taken as a statement of the law or regulations.

To contact your Benefi ts Adviser: Swaythling Housing: 023 8062 8000 Drum: 01730 403200 Windsor: 01753 777402

Home owners: increase in benefi tsWhat?The help with mortgages and other housing costs

such as service charges has been increased so

more people can qualify sooner.

When?From 5 January 2010.

Who needs to take action?If you are a home owner and have been refused

income support, income-based jobseeker’s

allowance or income-related employment and

support allowance because your income was

considered too high, you should check whether

the new rules help you.

How?Contact the Jobcentre Plus offi ce that deals with

your claim, or contact our benefi ts adviser for

more information.

Tax credit increaseWhat?The allowances for children are increasing.

When?April 2010.

Who needs to take action?If you already receive tax credits your claim will

be adjusted automatically. If you are responsible

for one or more children and your income has

previously been too high for you to qualify for

child tax credit, you should consider putting in

a new claim.

How?Contact us if you would like to check your

entitlement, or contact the Tax Credit Offi ce

on 0845 300 3900 or www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits to make a claim.

3

State pension changes(Born after April 1950? State

pension changes may affect you!)

What?Here are the main changes:• New weekly credit to help

carers qualify for state pension.

• Abolition of pension increase

for a dependant (usually a wife

or husband).

• Change in rules to allow

husbands, wives and civil

partners to get a pension based

on their partner’s national

insurance contributions.

• More people able to buy

additional voluntary national

insurance contributions to

increase their pension.

• Gradual increase in the state

pension age for women born on

or after 6 April 1950 to bring it in

line with the state pension age

for men by 2020.

• Gradual increase in the state

pension age for men and

women born after 5 April 1959

so it rises from 65 to 68.

• Gradual increase in the

minimum age that you can

claim pension credit and

winter fuel payment, in line

with the rise in women’s state

pension age.

• Decrease in the number

of years national insurance

contributions needed to obtain

a full basic state pension.

When?Changes come into effect from

April 2010 onwards.

Who needs to take action?Anyone reaching state pension

age on or after 6 April 2010

may be affected. A few people

who have already reached state

pension age may also be affected.

How?Check the State Pension Profi ler

on www.direct.gov.uk/pensions to fi nd out how the

changes affect you. Alternatively,

contact the Benefi ts Adviser on

the contact details below.

4

Throw

£15.00

Tesco

Tired of dark, cold, winter days and nights? Us too! Why not give your lounge a ‘spring clean’ and a new look with simple accessories that don’t break the bank or require any DIY!

Set of 3 printed mirrors

(30x90cm)

£35.00

Tesco

A fresh look for spring

Block candle

£2.29

IKEA

Add a touch of light with this lovely fl oor lamp from IKEA or table lamp from Asda, available in four different colours.

Bright ideas

Purple daisy canvas

(48x48cm)

£8.00

Asda

Floor lamp

£6.99

IKEA

Tealight holder

£2.79

IKEA

www.radian.co.uk

5The Ladder – your guide to the HomeBuy ownership scheme

Felt cushion

£9.00

Asda

Silk cushion

£5.00

Asda

Pair of faux silk cushions

£10.00

Tesco

The simplest way to add some style and colour to a room is by adding a few scatter cushions. Don’t be scared of using bold colours or patterns.

Padded comforts

Table lamp

£7.00

Asda

Adding lighting to your home can give your home a warm and cosy look. It can also brighten dark areas. Decorative lighting can provide light and style.

GRENÖ cushion

£9.99

IKEA

6

Making a new house your home

Before making changes to your

home you will need to consider

the implications of carrying

out the work. Here is some

guidance about changes to your

property or your mortgage:

Can I make home improvements?If you wish to improve your

home, please write to us with

details of your proposal and

the costs. If we agree to the

improvements, copies of all

correspondence will be held

on fi le. If you decide to sell up

or perhaps buy further shares

in your home, we will take into

consideration any increase in

the value of your home resulting

from the improvements you

have made. However, do

consider the situation carefully

as home improvements will not

necessarily increase the value

of your home.

If you wish to borrow against

your mortgage to make the

home improvements, you need

to approve your plans with us

in advance. A valuation fee currently is £135 + vat and Deed of Postponement fee £25 + vat.

Is now a good time to sell?If you are thinking of selling you

need to consider the amount of

equity you have in your home,

how much you want to move

and your personal fi nancial

situation. However, houses have

come down in price, mortgages

are cheaper and if you have

a low mortgage and some

savings this could be a very

good time to move.

As with any fi nancial decision,

you need to do your homework.

We recommend that you obtain

independent fi nancial advice

and we have some specialist

advisors who can help.

For more details call

023 8062 8004.

Shared Owners – How do we sell? The fi rst step will be to arrange

a formal valuation through a

qualifi ed chartered surveyor

(£135.00 plus VAT). You will also

be required to pay for a Home

Information Pack (HIP).

If you are a shared owner and

wish to sell, we are required

under the terms of the lease

to nominate a buyer for your

share. We can do this through

our Resales Service, which is

cheaper than using an estate

agent. We have thousands of

people on lists wanting to buy

HomeBuy homes.

If we are unable to fi nd a

suitable buyer, you are then free

to sell your home through an

estate agent, but you will need

to pay the estate agent’s fee. If

you sell the percentage share

through an estate agent, please

note that this must be at a price

set by an approved valuer and

not a price set by the estate

agent. The purchaser must be

approved by us. If we fi nd you

a buyer through our nomination

process, there is a set fee of

£750 + vat. We will advise you

and your solicitor throughout the

process as well as assisting the

new purchaser.

Buying your new home is an exciting but challenging time. The Ladder is here to guide you through

the process and give you the information and advice you need.

www.radian.co.uk

7The Ladder – your guide to the HomeBuy ownership scheme

Still thinking locally

Radian is made up of:

• Drum Housing

Association

• Longwood Park

• Portal Housing

Association

• Swaythling Housing

Society

• Turnstone Support

• Windsor Housing

In the meantime, look

out for information on our

website www.radian.co.uk or call FREEPHONE

0808 141 0042.

Services Radian provide for home ownersTo request your free copy of our ‘Guide to

Home Ownership Services’ please:

Email: info@radian.org.uk

Tel: 023 8062 8004

Web: www.radian.co.uk

Swaythling: 023 8062 8000

Windsor: 01753 710440

Drum: 01730 403200

Drum, Swaythling and Windsor

are all united as Radian, and

whilst we may be bigger we are

still thinking locally!

This is why we are introducing

four Area Panels, made up

of local residents, including

shared owner and leaseholder

representatives who will help

us to set local priorities and

standards for their areas.

You may already have been

to one of the many drop-in

sessions that have taken place

across the south coast. We will

soon be sending out a leafl et to

tell you what ideas and actions

have come out of our drop-in

sessions.

How do we sell? – HomeBuy LoansIf you bought your home with the help of an Open Market HomeBuy Loan such as: HomeBuy, Starter Homes Initiative, Keyworker

Living, Expanded Open Market, GLO or

My Choice HomeBuy.

We will not be able to fi nd a buyer for you,

you will need to sell your house on the open

market through an estate agent. We will need to

agree the value of our equity share through an

Independent valuation by a qualifi ed chartered

surveyor registered on our panel of valuers

(£135 plus VAT). The sale is completed in the

normal way and the outstanding loan is repaid to

Swaythling Housing Society on completion of the

sale by your solicitor.

Finding a new home onlineIf you are considering relocating to another area,

an easy search for a new home is just a click

away. www.homebuy.co.uk will point you in

the right direction.

As you know, we are now part of The Radian

Group, along with Drum, Windsor and Longwood

Park housing associations. Lots of our services

have benefi ted from our new partnership.

We have also just completed our website

www.radian.co.uk so why not check it out.

You will fi nd online information around the clock.

You can get information on all aspects of our

‘after sales’ services, from how to staircase, to

how your rent and service charges are set.

Check it out next time you’re online – www.radian.co.uk

Home Ownership TeamRadian, Collins House

Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh,

Hampshire SO50 6AD

Tel: 023 8062 8004

Fax: 023 8062 8393

Email: info@radian.co.uk

www.radian.co.uk

Cert no. SA-COC-002136

If you are a shared owner you will have a

Housing Offi cer, who is responsible for the

management of housing and related issues

within a specifi c area. They are sometimes

referred to as Housing Consultants.

One of their primary roles is to make sure that

our estates and communal areas are kept safe

and tidy. They carry out monthly inspections

on estates and visit all our homes on a regular

basis. On their inspections the offi cers look

out for rubbish, abandoned cars and over

grown gardens in rented properties. They also

check fi re safety in fl ats and are responsible for

arranging and monitoring cleaning contracts.

Our Housing Offi cers also help to deal with

anti-social behaviour complaints. If you have

a problem, do talk to them and they will

advise you on the options for dealing with

the situation.

What does my housing offi cer do?

Radian – online any time

To contact your Housing Offi cer or Housing Consultant:

Swaythling Housing: 023 8062 8000

Drum: 01730 710440

Windsor: 01753 777402

OYS 326 / 03_10