A single mum has been left devastated after being priced out of buying her dream home. NHS worker Ellen Perry from Chester wanted to provide a home of her own for her and her teenage daughter to live in, and had her heart set on buying a new three-bed property through a shared ownership scheme.
Ellen said she had agreed a price of £250,000 with Flintshire-based Thompson Developments and had paid a £500 deposit on the house back in November 2021. Ellen also says she had been given a completion date of the end of March 2022.
Despite working 50 hours per week for the past two and a half years in a bid to get a foot on the property ladder, the mum-of-one says she can no longer afford her dream home after the price has now gone up by £37,000.
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Ellen signed up to buy the house at a new development in Saughall through a shared ownership scheme in December 2021. Shared ownership involves buying 50 per cent of the property, with a landlord owning the other 50 per cent.
But she told CheshireLive there had been various delays in terms of the house and the necessary paperwork being ready. She claims the date kept being put back and in October she was informed her mortgage rate was going up by £140 a month due to interest rates rising.
Ellen, who works at the Countess of Chester Hospital for 30 hours a week as well as putting in around 20 hours overtime at weekends in A&E, told CheshireLive she simply can't afford this higher price and is now out of pocket to the tune of around £1,000.
She says she has had to fork out for various fees such as solicitor's fees, mortgage fees and a deposit on new flooring for her dream home.
Ellen told Cheshire Live: "I’m a single parent and I’m on a low wage working for the NHS. I’ve worked 50-56 hrs per week for the past two and a half years to be able to afford this house.
"I've been going to what was meant to be my dream home regularly, taking pictures and videos of the progress, thinking soon this house will be mine."
After visiting the property numerous times, Ellen said she had noticed the focus in terms of building at the development appeared to go on the privately-sold properties rather than the shared ownership homes.
As time went on, and she was still no closer to moving in, she was horrified to get a phone call this month to inform her that the price of the three-bed property had now gone up.
Ellen's mortgage offer has also now expired and she said she would not be able to get a mortgage for the new higher price.
She said she has managed to arrange for the return of her £500 deposit to reserve the plot on the 28-home development called Pear Tree Grange in Saughall. She had even told her landlord that she was moving out and is now having to see if she is able to stay on there for the time being.
Explaining the process she had gone through to try to buy her dream property, Ellen said: "I put the reservation fee down in December 2021 and everyone else seems to have moved in now apart from the 50 per cent shared ownership property owners.
"They seemed to stop working on my house in October 2022. Two days before Christmas I received a WhatsApp message from the owner of the development company advising me that they’ve parted ways with Auxesia and if I was still interested in buying the house he would put me in the right direction.
"After a telephone conversation he advised that he was dealing with a new affordable company called Heylo and that I would know more after the new year. I contacted Auxesia, as I wondered why they hadn’t told me they were pulling out, and they were shocked and unaware that the development company were doing this.
"On 9 January, I was asked to give a number a ring as they’d spoken to the new affordable company. When I phoned, the lady advised that the price of my house had increased from £250,000 agreed in November 2021 to £287,000.
"I can’t afford any increase. My original mortgage was £440 a month then rent on top at £290. After the interest increase my mortgage went to £570.
"I had my mortgage in place and ready to move. When I found out, I couldn't stop crying. We'd even started packing to move to our new home. It's just horrendous. Me and my daughter are devastated."
Ellen continued: "I'm so upset. For the past two and a half years I've been working 30 hours a week in my job in the opthalmology department at the Countess, as well as 20 hours at weekends in A&E or my department, just to get my salary up and to save the £24,000 deposit."
She is out of pocket to the tune of around £1,000, including around £250 plus VAT on solicitor's fees, £395 to her mortgage company and £500 as part payment on flooring, which she says she will not get back.
Ellen added: "Originally I was going to go for a two-bed house but the affordability let me go for a three-bed so I did. If I'd gone for a two-bed there would only have been a £5,000 increase.
"It's been really upsetting. It's caused me so much stress. They contacted me two days before Christmas to say they were parting ways with Auxesia. To message me a couple of days before Christmas. My heart was coming out of my chest with worry.
"Talk about happy new year for 2023. It was meant to be a fresh start in a lovely new home. Now I feel that it's out of my reach."
Ellen said she had been informed that Auxesia had now terminated their contract with Thompson Developments.
A Heylo spokesperson said: "Heylo has not entered into any contract with Thompson Developments on this property and at this time has no involvement at all with the property, including any increase in price charges or mortgages.
"All enquiries should be made directly to Thompson Developments who are responsible for delivering the homes on the scheme."
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