Help-to-buy’s mortgage prisoners

First-time buyers who purchased their homes using the government’s help-to-buy scheme could find themselves short of options when they decide to remortgage.

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Are you locked into a bad deal?
(Image credit: peter dazeley)

First-time buyers who purchased their homes using the government's help-to-buy scheme could find themselves short of options when they decide to remortgage. Borrowers with help-to-buy equity loans cannot access the cheapest deals on the market because they are limited to specialised help-to-buy mortgages. Several prominent mortgage brokers have raised concerns about the lack of products currently available for this sector of the market.

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Emma Lunn

Emma Lunn is a multi-award-winning journalist who specialises in personal finance and consumer issues. With more than 18 years’ experience in personal finance, Emma has covered topics including mortgages, first-time buyers, leasehold, banking, debt, budgeting, broadband, energy, pensions and investments. Emma’s one of the most prolific freelance personal finance journalists with a back catalogue of work in newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and the Mirror. As a freelancer she has also completed various in-house contracts at The Guardian, The Independent, Mortgage Solutions, Orange and Moneywise. 

She also writes regularly for specialist magazines and websites such as Property Hub, Mortgage Strategy and YourMoney.com. She’s particularly proud of her work writing about the leasehold sector and a Guardian front-page story about a dodgy landlord. She has a real passion for helping people learn about money – especially when many people are struggling to get by in today’s challenging economic climate – and prides herself on simplifying complex subjects.