Brotherly love

Gareth and Christopher Howarth - close enough to borrow a cup of sugar

It’s a case of brotherly love for a pair of Rochdale siblings who are both getting married this year and will be setting up home in the same street.

Brothers Christopher and Gareth Howarth have both chosen Birch Hill Gardens, Beadle Avenue, Rochdale as the perfect place to begin married life.

The duo were able to use the FirstBuy scheme to get themselves on to the property ladder. This government initiative helps first time buyers to secure their home with a smaller deposit.

Care worker, Gareth ,24, was the first to use the scheme and recommended it to his brother, who was also eligible to access FirstBuy, and will move into his home in June.

Christopher, 27, who works at a leisure centre, said: “I’ve always got on well with my brother and to be only a few door away from him will be a great.“

Gareth added: “My girlfriend and I are thrilled to be in our new home, and it is a lovely feeling having family living a stone’s throw away.”

FirstBuy is part of the Government’s HomeBuy range designed to help first time buyers into home ownership in a way they can afford. 

It is part of the Government’s wider proposals to boost growth by simultaneously stimulating demand, tackling supply-side barriers and supporting local priorities for supply. 

FirstBuy is aimed at maintaining capacity in the housebuilding industry in the short-term while assisting deposit constrained first time buyers to realise their homeownership aspirations. 

FirstBuy support is offered through equity loan funding of up to 20 per cent of the purchase price split equally between the Homes and Communities Agency and the housebuilder, with purchasers being required to raise funding (a mortgage plus deposit) of at least 80 per cent of the purchase price.