Will, left, and Chris are delighted their new flat at The Scene has plenty for room for them and their two cats, Caju and Ara
(Picture: Richard Eaton)Buying a property wasn’t originally on the cards for Will Mota, 40, and his partner Chris Ver-Haest, 41, who, at the beginning of 2022 were living in a tiny one-bedroom rental flat in London Bridge, next to the Shard.
“While we enjoyed our flat’s central location, it was too small for both ourselves and our two cats Ara and Caju,” says Will. “They were bored and needed more room to run around in, as well as outside space.”
Believing they couldn’t afford to buy in London, the couple initially began looking for a bigger place to rent instead. However, when they came across The Scene development in Deptford by Peabody and Sherrygreen Homes, they tentatively began to consider the possibility of buying their first home together.
“Initially, we didn’t think we could afford to buy straight away, but decided to still check out the development anyway,” says Will.
As soon as they viewed what is now their two-bedroom apartment with balcony, the couple fell in love with it.
“I had always wanted a flat with a balcony,” says Will. “Not only did it provide our cats with more space to roam, but it had amazing views, too – we can see the whole city which is incredible, and we can even see The Shard near to where we used to live!”
The Scene is situated on Amersham Vale, between Deptford and New Cross, just a short walk from New Cross Station.
“What I love about the area is how mixed and trendy it is,” says Will. “We’ve lived in both Elephant and Castle and London Bridge – both of which are very different – but Deptford is the perfect mix of the two.
“In Deptford High Street, there’s a weekly market and lots of restaurants that we are still exploring. We love walking along the river to Greenwich, which takes about 15 minutes and is beautiful, especially on sunny evenings.
“Plus, it’s so easy to get back into the city if we need to as New Cross Station is a two-minute walk from our home, and London Bridge is one stop away, which takes less than five minutes!”
Having found the perfect property, there was still the question of affordability. As the couple weren’t in a rush to buy, they hadn’t seriously considered Help to Buy before.
“It was when the Scene’s sales team advised us that Help to Buy was coming to an end next year that we decided to go for it,” says Will.
Using Help to Buy meant they were able to put down a 5 per cent deposit (£28,375) and borrow 40 per cent from the government. Ironically, this has left Will and Chris with a joint monthly mortgage repayment of £1,250, exactly what they were paying for their tiny rental.
“If it hadn’t been for Help to Buy, we wouldn’t have been able to afford our home,”says Will.
