A new affordable housing scheme has been launched in Pembrokeshire that helps first-time buyers to access the housing market and purchase their first home.

‘Homebuy Pembrokeshire’ is funded by the Local Authority’s Second Home Premium Council Tax, and addresses some of the issues buyers face when looking to purchase a home.

Pembrokeshire experiences large variances in property prices across the County that can make many areas unaffordable for first-time buyers. Despite saving a deposit and securing access to a mortgage, house prices can remain a barrier to home ownership.

Delivered by Pembrokeshire County Council ‘Homebuy Pembrokeshire’ will help to remove this barrier by providing a loan of up to 30% of the property value that is used towards the purchase.

With no interest to pay, the loan is secured against the property as a legal charge, with the value linked to the current market value of the property.

This scheme will be available for an open market property in the County, with additional support if the buyer wishes to purchase an ‘empty property’.

There are schemes throughout Wales that help with the purchase of a new build property. ‘Homebuy Pembrokeshire’ is different and is only available for Pembrokeshire’s general open housing market.

Under this scheme buyers will have options to make repayment as funds become available, allowing them to reach full ownership.

Cllr Michelle Bateman, Pembrokeshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “The launch of Homebuy Pembrokeshire is part of the administration’s commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing of all tenures.

“We know that there are barriers which prevent people being able to move onto the housing ladder, and we hope that with this support we can give first-time buyers an opportunity to own their own home.

“The scheme is part of a wide range of measures being taken to address the housing crisis, including our development and acquisitions programme, leasing scheme Wales and support for those wanting to bring empty properties back into use.”

Helping local residents is an important part of ‘Homebuy Pembrokeshire’, requiring all applicants to prove that they have a local connection to the County to qualify, along with other qualifying factors.

This scheme has secured £1million to run as a pilot project, which will invest any return on loans to help grow the County’s affordable housing programme.

If you have any questions about this scheme, or how you can access this loan, further information is available by visiting Homebuy Pembrokeshire’s web page or by contacting: [email protected] or 01437 764551.

From April 1 of 2025 the Second Home Premium was set at 150% by Pembrokeshire Council, with the charge in addition to the standard rate of council tax.

The discretion given to local authorities to charge a premium is intended to be a tool to help: