The resurrection of H2B?

The help to buy scheme has the potential to exacerbate supply shortages in the housing market by actually increasing demand for homes. This scheme has often led to higher house prices and further restricted the supply of affordable housing. One of the primary challenges in the housing market is a lack of affordable housing, particularly in urban areas, where demand is high, and land is limited. While the help to buy scheme has helped some first-time buyers get onto the property ladder, it has not done enough to address the core issue of supply shortages in the housing market which is what is driving housing unaffordability. While it has incentivised developers to build more homes, the scheme has also led to the construction of higher value homes, which does nothing to improve the supply of affordable homes for people on lower incomes. What we need is less bureaucracy and an objective planning regime to get small builders to build more homes up and down this country.

This is a terrible idea. Floating Help to Buy again is a sure sign of which way the wind is blowing for house builders. They're starting to struggle because borrowers can no longer afford to pay overinflated prices for what is often little more than a shoebox. This policy should really be called Help to Sell, because that's exactly what it is. If Sunak really wants to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder, he should stop intervening and simply let house prices fall so they become truly affordable again. Or does he not believe in free markets?

This will be good news for developers as they have made billions of pounds thanks to Help to Buy in the past. However, once again this shows the complete lack of any joined-up thinking when it comes to this government's housing policy. To allow the previous scheme to end with no future plans almost felt like the government had given up on the housing sector. I think that if this is to be re-introduced with the usual caveats, it could help first-time buyers onto the property ladder. However, it will also more than likely push up house prices again so it is a double-edged sword. In addition, housebuilders should be given targets if this scheme is re-introduced to ensure that they don't just sit on banks of land and profit from this as prices rise.

Help to Buy has helped thousands of first-time buyers get on the market over the years and it really does have its place provided it is used properly and is fully detailed to borrowers. However, perhaps the real reason the government are considering bringing it back is because they made nearly £2 billion from it on the back of more than 375,000 loans. That and the fact it's a vote-winner with the younger demographic. What we do know is that it will likely drive prices higher once again, and is that what the market - and first-time buyers - really need?

The help to buy scheme contributed hugely to house price inflation and enabled people to buy a property that, in any other world, they simply couldn't afford. People maxed themselves out on a property they shouldn't have bought, with super low rates and, as a result, we are seeing people struggle to re-structure things once the equity loan becomes payable. The only real winners from this scheme were the developers.

Help-to-buy is not the perfect solution and had quite a few drawbacks in its previous guise. It only helped new build homes, it arguably accelerated house price growth and while billed as "interest-free", the fact it was an equity loan meant 9 times out of 10 you paid back a lot more than you initially borrowed, i.e. interest by another name and at a rate you have no foresight of. The housing market does need assistance, especially for people looking to buy for the first time, or maybe having to start again after a relationship breakdown, but I think we can come up with a better solution than help to buy in its previous form.