First Homes

The Government introduced First Homes – a new type of discounted market sale housing – in 2021. Since then there has been a requirement for 25% of the Affordable Homes delivered on qualifying development sites to be First Homes. Qualifying sites are those sites, typically comprising at least 10 new homes, where a proportion of the homes are required to be delivered as affordable housing.

First Homes Advisory Note

We have prepared a

(PDF 441kb) on how the government's First Homes policy applies in Hertsmere pending the publication of our new Local Plan.

Applying to buy a First Home

If you meet the eligibility criteria and want to purchase a First Home you will need to complete an application pack and submit this to Hertsmere Borough Council for approval before you can proceed with the purchase. You should do this in conjunction with the developer, your solicitor or conveyancer, and your mortgage advisor. An application pack specific to your intended purchase should be available from the developer who is building the property. It will be very similar to this template

(PDF 1.03Mb) we have issued and which you can use; it is based on the pack issued by the government.