Guidance

Help to Buy: Equity Loan advertising guidelines for registered homebuilders

Updated 16 August 2022

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2022

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-equity-loan-advertising-guidelines/help-to-buy-equity-loan-advertising-guidelines-for-registered-homebuilders

As a registered Help to Buy homebuilder, you must make sure all advertising, marketing and promotions are clear, fair and not misleading. It’s your responsibility to comply with the Help to Buy Funding Administration Agreement*. You must also comply with advertising regulations under the ASA, MCOB and FCA.

  1. Any advert promoting an element of Help to Buy, for example, the 5% deposit on exchange, must also include ‘with a Help to Buy: Equity Loan, subject to eligibility, terms and conditions’.

  2. Be clear that it is an equity loan not a discount, incentive or promotion. Homebuyers using a Help to Buy: Equity Loan will need to pay interest after 5 years. They need to pay back their equity loan when they sell their home, pay off their repayment mortgage or reach the end of the equity loan term. If they breach the terms of the equity loan, they could be asked to repay in full. Homebuyers can also decide to pay off their equity loan in full or part at any time before any of these events.

  3. Be careful with phrases that may mislead homebuyers. For example, ‘interest free loan’. It must be clear that the interest free period is only for the first 5 years. Also, that ‘Help to Buy is available subject to eligibility, terms and conditions’.

  4. The use of any reference to price other than the full purchase price is misleading; a misrepresentation of Help to Buy and a breach of your funding administration agreement.

  5. Always use the Help to Buy logo with the strapline ‘Backed by HM Government’. You can download the guidelines and logo.

  6. Help to Buy must always be described as an equity loan. It must never be described as a discount or promotion, or be associated with another scheme or incentive.

  7. Always ask homebuyers to find their Help to Buy agent at ownyourhome.gov.uk.

*Please refer to Clause 6 of the Equity Loan Funding Administration Agreement. You can download this from the IMS Briefing Library.

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