HCA announces new HomeBuy Agents for 2009-11
24 March 2009
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Following a competitive tendering exercise to ensure continued high levels of service and value for money, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has today published the list of organisations which will act as Local HomeBuy Agents across England for the period 2009-11.
Each Local HomeBuy Agent acts as a first point of contact for families and single households seeking to buy a home through the HCA’s HomeBuy affordable home ownership products. Agents will first establish whether applicants meet eligibility criteria before assessing applicants’ financial circumstances to ensure that they can afford home ownership longer term. Local HomeBuy Agents will also help people to think about their housing options and assist them to make the right choice to meet their housing needs.
A total of 15 organisations, all of which are registered social landlords, have been appointed to cover the 37 zones across England. Two organisations have been appointed as Agents for the first time – Time2Buy, a locally based partnership that will cover the Tees Valley and County Durham zone, and a partnership between Sovereign and West Country Housing who will cover the whole of the South west region.
It was also announced today that a single organisation – Metropolitan Home Ownership – has been appointed as the National HomeBuy Agent, and will manage the after sales process for the First Time Buyers’ Initiative and HomeBuy Direct across all zones.
Richard Hill, Director of Investment and Renewal responsible for the National Affordable Housing Programme at the HCA, said: “This is a new national network of Local HomeBuy Agents which represents the very highest service levels and the best value for public money.
“HomeBuy continues to help thousands of people into homeownership, in an affordable and sustainable way, and continues to be an important stimulus in the market. I am pleased that consumers will continue to have a clear route to the best product available to them in their area.”
The new network of HomeBuy Agents takes effect as of 1st April 2009.
Ends
For more information contact Robert Davies in the HCA press office, 020 7881 1624.
Notes to editors
Full list of HomeBuy agents for 2009-11 (as of 1 April 2009):
| Region | Zone | HomeBuy agent |
| North West | Cheshire | Plus Housing (Plus Dane) |
| Cumbria | Riverside HA | |
| Greater Manchester | Manchester Methodist (Plumlife) | |
| Lancashire | Manchester Methodist (Plumlife) | |
| Merseyside | Plus Housing (Plus Dane) | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | North Yorkshire and Humberside | Yorkshire Housing (My 4 Walls) |
| South Yorkshire | Manchester Methodist (Plumlife) | |
| West Yorkshire | Yorkshire Housing (My 4 Walls) | |
| North East | Tees Valley and County Durham | Time2Buy (Fabrick Housing Group, Stockton Borough Council, Housing Hartlepool and Endeavour Housing) |
| Tyne and Wear and Northumberland | ISOS (Nomad E5) | |
| East Midlands | Derbyshire | East Midlands HA |
| Leicestershire | East Midlands HA | |
| Lincolnshire and Rutland | East Midlands HA | |
| Northamptonshire | East Midlands HA | |
| Nottinghamshire | East Midlands HA | |
| East of England | Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire (including Fenland and Peterborough, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury) | Orbit |
| Hertfordshire | Aldwyck | |
| Essex | Moat | |
| Norfolk & Suffolk (excluding Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury) | Orbit | |
| London | North London | Metropolitan |
| West London | Metropolitan | |
| East London | Metropolitan | |
| South West London | L&Q | |
| South East London | L&Q | |
| South East | Berkshire & Oxfordshire | Catalyst |
| Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes | Catalyst | |
| Kent | Moat | |
| Sussex | Moat | |
| Hampshire | Swaythling | |
| Surrey | Catalyst | |
| South West | South East – Bournemouth, Poole HMA, Weyland and Dorchester HMA, Salisbury HMA, South Somerset and West Dorset HMA | Sovereign & West Country Housing |
| North – West of England HMA, Swindon HMA, Gloucestershire and Cheltenham HMA | Sovereign & West Country Housing | |
| Peninsula – West Cornwall HMA, Plymouth HMA, Polycentric Devon and Cornwall, Torbay HMA, Exeter HMA and Taunton HMA. | Sovereign & West Country Housing | |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Solihull | Orbit |
| Coventry and Warwickshire | Orbit | |
| Staffordshire (including Stoke) and Shropshire (including Telford) | Orbit | |
| Hereford and Worcestershire | Orbit |
HomeBuy Agents provide a one stop-shop service for all the affordable home ownership options in a given area (or zone) of operation.
Details of the real help now being offered to house buyers, homeowners and businesses during the market downturn, including the various HomeBuy options, is available from www.direct.gov.uk
The Homes and Communities Agency is the single, national housing and regeneration agency for England.
Our vision is about creating opportunity for people to live in homes they can afford, in places they want to live and for local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas.
This will be achieved by:
- Acting as the bridge between national targets and local ambitions, with a strong regional presence
- Through a process of 'single conversations' with local authorities, RDAs and sub regional partnerships
- Working effectively with the market, housebuilders, investors and other stakeholders
- Understanding the needs and aspirations of people and communities.
The HCA brings together English Partnerships, investment functions of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities, with major delivery programmes of Communities and Local Government.