FIRST-TIME home buyers in Hillingdon are being offered a cash incentive.

Purchasers who have raised seven-and-a-half per cent of the value of the home they make an offer for will be eligible for a six-and-a-half per cent grant through the First Time Buyers’ Scheme, for which £500,000 in total has been made available.

The scheme is now in its fifth year and 162 people have so far taken advantage.

Hillingdon Council’s cabinet member for housing, Councillor Philip Corthorne, said: “As we all know, getting a foot on the housing ladder can be incredibly difficult, especially in London.

“This scheme is aimed at helping those who have worked hard to save but need a little more support.”

Applicants must have lived in the borough for 10 years, allowing for legitimate periods away, for example study.

Other terms and conditions apply. For details and to see whether you are eligible, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/ftbscheme.

l Are you on the first time buyer merry-go-round? Struggling to raise a deposit? No houses in your price range?

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