The Edinburgh Realty eNewsletter

Changes - Kāinga Ora First Home Partner Scheme

First home buyers, do you know about the First Home Partner Scheme?

First Home Partner is a shared ownership scheme by Kāinga Ora and part of the New Zealand Government’s Progressive Home Ownership Fund. It is designed to help aspiring first home buyers whose deposit and home loan aren’t quite enough to get into home ownership, by co-purchasing a brand new home with Kāinga Ora.

Kāinga Ora contributes an agreed amount towards purchasing the home with you in return for an equivalent share in ownership. You then purchase this share back over time until you are the sole homeowner.

The Government has recently announced changes to First Home Partner.

The five key changes include:

• Allowing buyers to purchase existing homes to increase access to eligible households, giving them a greater choice of homes, including access to a greater variety of homes, cheaper homes, and homes in more locations.
• Increasing the PHO (Progressive Home Ownership) income cap from $130,000 to $150,000, reflecting the recent wage growth for many while retaining the focus on supporting those who need it.
• Making the income cap flexible in the Te Au Taketake pathway by enabling providers to deliver PHO schemes where up to fifty percent of households earn more than the standard income caps.
• Increasing flexibility of the timing of funding applications to allow PHO providers to proceed at a faster pace to make the best use of remaining time and funding.
• Extending the recyclability of funding under PHO from 15 to 20 years for rent-to buy and shared equity schemes, to reduce the cost to participants.

To find out more and to see if you are eligible for First Home Partner, visit – kaingaora.govt.nz/first-home-partner