Veterans and families:
your guide to getting help with buying a home in Wales
Owning a home is a huge milestone. For many veterans, it’s a powerful step toward long‑term stability after leaving the armed forces. If you’re looking at buying a home in Wales but worried about affordability, the main schemes designed to help veterans with buying a home are Help to Buy – Wales, Shared Ownership, Homebuy and Forces Help to Buy.
Here’s how they work, who can apply and why veterans receive special consideration.
Time to read:
This guidance is for Wales. There are separate guides for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Help to Buy – Wales: Boost your buying power with an equity loan
Help to Buy – Wales is designed to make buying a new-build home more accessible by reducing the amount you need to borrow through a mortgage.
The scheme provides an equity loan from the Welsh Government, meaning you only need a smaller deposit and mortgage.
How it works
You provide:
- a minimum 5% deposit
The scheme provides:
- an equity loan of up to 20% of the property price
You then:
- take out a mortgage for the remaining amount (typically 75%)
The equity loan is interest-free for the first 5 years, helping keep early costs down.
What kind of homes can you buy?
New-build homes only.
Properties from registered builders under the scheme.
Homes within the scheme’s price cap.
The property must be your only or main residence.
Who is eligible?
You must be:
- 18 years old or over
- buying a home to live in (not to rent out)
- able to afford the mortgage and monthly costs
- buying your only home at the time of purchase (with limited exceptions)
Special considerations for veterans
While Help to Buy – Wales doesn’t have a separate veterans category, many lenders and housing providers recognise armed forces income and circumstances more flexibly.
This can include:
- considering military allowances as part of your income
- understanding frequent relocations or gaps in address history
- tailored mortgage advice for service leavers
Shared Ownership – Wales:
Buy a share you can afford
If buying a home outright feels out of reach, Shared Ownership – Wales lets you buy a percentage of a property and pay rent on the rest.
This can dramatically reduce your upfront costs.
How it works
You buy:
- typically between 25% and 75% of the home’s market value
You then:
- pay rent on the remaining share
- cover service charges and maintenance costs
Over time, you can buy more shares (this is called ‘staircasing’) until you own more or all of the property.
What types of homes can you buy?
New-build shared ownership homes.
Some resale shared ownership properties.
All shared ownership homes are leasehold.
Costs to expect
A 5% to 10% deposit, but only for the share you’re buying.
Monthly mortgage payments (for your share).
Monthly rent (on the landlord’s share).
Service charges and maintenance fees.
Eligibility
You’ll generally need to:
- have a household income of £60,000 or less
- be unable to afford a suitable home on the open market
- be a first-time buyer (or in certain qualifying situations)
Support for veterans
Service history and vulnerability factors are taken into account by housing associations, particularly around your local connection and housing need. Some housing associations may:
- give additional consideration to ex-service applicants
- offer guidance tailored to military households
- support those transitioning into civilian life
Homebuy – Wales: Buy on the open market with government support
Homebuy – Wales is a lesser-known but powerful scheme that helps people who cannot afford to buy a home without assistance, including those who may otherwise need social housing.
Unlike Help to Buy, this scheme can be used on open market properties, not just new builds.
How it works
You provide:
- around 50% to 70% of the property price through a mortgage and/or savings
The scheme provides:
- an equity loan of typically 30% to 50%
You then:
- own the home outright, with no rent or interest payable on the loan
You repay the loan:
- when you sell the home, or earlier if you choose
- based on the same percentage of the property’s value at that time
What kind of homes can you buy?
Existing homes on the open market.
Properties that meet local authority criteria.
Homes suitable for your needs and priced within local limits.
Who is eligible?
You must:
- be unable to afford a suitable home without help
- show you are not adequately housed or cannot remain in your current home
- be able to secure a mortgage for your share
- meet local authority or housing association criteria
In some cases, you may also need:
- a local connection to the area
- to meet specific income or housing-need requirements
Why it may suit veterans
Homebuy – Wales can be especially helpful for veterans who:
- want to buy an existing home rather than a new build
- are settling in a specific community after service
- may not meet traditional affordability criteria but can sustain a mortgage
Because the scheme focuses on housing need, veterans transitioning to civilian life may be well positioned to qualify.
Still serving? Consider Forces Help to Buy for interest‑free support
If you’re still in service, Forces Help to Buy (FHTB) can make buying a home much more achievable.
What is Forces Help to Buy?
The scheme allows eligible service personnel to borrow:
- up to 50% of their annual salary
- up to a maximum of £25,000
- interest‑free
The loan can be used towards:
- a deposit
- solicitor’s fees
- estate agent fees
- other purchase costs
From 1 January 2023, Forces Help to Buy became an enduring policy, meaning it’s available now and in the future.
Who can use the scheme?
You may be eligible if you:
- are regular service personnel
- have completed the required length of service
- have more than 6 months left to serve
- meet medical requirements
- are not a reservist or part of the Military Provost Guard Service
There may be exceptions in cases involving medical or personal circumstances.
How to apply
Applications are made through JPA self‑service, using the Forces Help to Buy application process. Full guidance is available in the JPA user guide.
Find out more:
Which scheme is right for you?
All 3 options can help veterans take their first step onto the property ladder in Wales.
Choose Help to Buy – Wales if you want:
- a new-build home with a low deposit
- lower initial monthly costs
- full ownership from the start
Choose Shared Ownership – Wales if you want:
- lower upfront costs
- a smaller, more manageable deposit
- flexibility to increase ownership over time
Consider Homebuy – Wales if you want:
- to buy an existing home on the open market
- a large equity loan with no monthly repayments
- support based on housing need rather than just income
Consider Forces Help to Buy if you’re still serving and want:
- an interest‑free boost to your deposit
- help covering buying costs
- support while balancing a mobile service career
Veterans deserve a fair start in homeownership
Whether you’ve just left the armed forces or did so years ago, owning a home in Wales should be an achievable goal. With schemes like Help to Buy – Wales, Shared Ownership – Wales, Homebuy – Wales and Forces Help to Buy, there are realistic, flexible ways to get on the property ladder.
Taking that first step might feel daunting, but support is there, and it’s designed with veterans in mind.