How to make structural alterations to your Help to Buy home

Making changes to your equity loan

Before you make any changes to your equity loan or mortgage, you need to understand how those changes may affect you.You should consider getting independent financial advice.

If you are paying monthly interest or management fees, you should keep making these payments.

You’ll need to settle any outstanding payments in full, or set up a payment plan agreed with our equity loan administrator, before they can continue with your request.

When you can make structural alterations

Our administrator can only approve structural alterations to your home (changes which alter its layout) if they are made for medical reasons:

For example, this could be because you, your partner or dependant has reduced mobility or a sensory impairment following an accident and suffering an injury.

You must get permission from our administrator for:

You do not need permission for things like:

Keeping your home affordable

Although we want your home to be suitable for your needs, we also want it to be affordable, so you can still comfortably make your equity loan payments.

If the structural alterations increase your home’s market value, they will also increase the equity loan amount you need to repay (as the repayment amount is linked to the market value at the time of repaying). Think about whether you can afford increased repayments.

Any structural alterations you make must not reduce the property’s market value.

Example

You bought a 2 bedroom home with a Help to Buy: Equity Loan. A year after moving in, you had an accident and suffered spinal injuries. Your medical diagnosis says you will have long term mobility issues.

You’d like to make your home more accessible by:

As the changes will alter the house structure and layout, you need permission from our administrator before starting work.

They’re likely to grant your application as the changes are being made for medical reasons and you can provide medical evidence.

How structural alterations will affect your equity loan repayments

If you get permission to make structural alterations, and after making and paying for them yourself this increases the value of your home, the increase in market value will not be added to the total equity loan amount you owe.

If you receive a grant to pay for the alterations, the increase in the value of your home will be included in the market value.

Example

You extended your kitchen with permission based on medical grounds, and after 2 years you want to repay the 20% you borrowed from the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.

You get a certified RICS surveyor to value your home, who says:

Although the market value is now £325,000, this increase will not be included in the valuation or the final repayment amount for the equity loan.

You would owe £60,000 (20% of £300,000). This excludes any interest or management fees.

Making structural alterations without permission

If you do not get permission to make structural alterations, any increase in your home’s market value will be added to your equity loan, so you’ll owe more.

Example

How to make structural alterations to your Help to Buy home

You built an extra room at the back of your home, but did not get permission before doing the work.

You get a certified RICS surveyor to value your home, who says:

This increase in the value of your home will be included in the valuation and in the final repayment amount for your equity loan.

You would owe £65,000 (20% of £325,000). This excludes any interest or management fees.

If you’ve already made structural alterations to your home, but did not know that you needed permission, you can still apply by following the ‘How to apply’ steps

You’ll also need to complete and send us the declaration of work completed form, even if your application is not successful.  

They’ll keep a copy of this form on your customer file.  

Our administrator will:  

If we decline your application, you’ll have to either return your home to its original condition, at your own cost, or repay the loan. The cost of the structural alteration will be included in the property’s valuation.

We’ll process your application as soon as we receive all your documents and forms, but we may have to refer your case to another team.

How to apply for permission to make structural alterations

Follow these steps to make your application.

Let them know you’d like to apply to make a structural alteration and they’ll tell you more about the process.

Email:target.hca@targetgroup.com

Phone:0345 848 0235

Post:Target HCA, PO Box 911, Newport NP20 9PA

Our administrator will need to see evidence showing why the structural alterations are needed.

You must send them:

They’ll also need proof of how you’ll pay for the structural alterations. This could be through:

Find out how to remortgage your Help to Buy home to pay for structural alterations.

Complete and sign the application form.

Return your completed form to our administrator with your evidence by email or post using the details above.

You’ll need to pay a £50 administration fee when you send our administrator the application form and documents.

You can pay this by online bank transfer, by credit or debit card by calling 0345 848 0325, or by cheque.

If you pay online, you need to tell our administrator by email or phone so they can confirm it on your customer file.

They’re open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday (not UK bank holidays).

They cannot progress your application until they’ve received this payment.

Bank nameHSBC
Account nameElderbridge RE: HCA
Sort code40-05-30
Account number14290879
ReferenceYour customer reference number or first line of your address and postcode

You’ll get a decision in writing within 10 working days of our administrator receiving your documents and application fee. They’ll record this on your customer file.

The decision will either be:

Our administrator will refuse permission if the structural alteration is not made for a medical reason.

If you decide to make the structural alterations after they refuse your application, or without applying, you’ll put yourself at risk of legal action and potential costs.

They’ll consider taking action against you as you will be breaking the terms of your Help to Buy: Equity Loan.

They may also consider taking action against you with your mortgage lender.

When any structural alterations to your property are completed, you must complete, sign and return the ‘declaration of work completed’ form, together with any supporting documents, like building control approval.

You need to send this to our administrator even if they have not approved the work. 

They’ll hold a copy on your customer file.