‘It’s empowering to buy a shared ownership home’
Shared ownership helped West End actor Chris buy a place of his own in his beloved Islington
Twenty-nine year old actor Chris Leask says that shared ownership was the “only way” he was ever going to be able to buy his own place in London.
Chris, who is currently playing ‘Everyone Else’ in The Comedy About The Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End, says that as a single, self-employed actor, he felt that his chances of being approved for a mortgage on a full-ownership property were slim – even though he had the money for a deposit.
“[There was] no way I would have got a mortgage on a flat, even though I was really lucky to have a large deposit to put down,” he explains.
Chris applied for a two-bedroom apartment in Packington Square, a Hyde New Homes development in Islington, in May of this year. He has now been living there since August.
“I’d been living in Islington and had fallen in love with the area. I wanted to buy here,” he explains. “A friend told me about Packington Square and when I came to look at the show apartment I was blown away, so I decided to apply.” Chris says that using shared ownership enabled him to stay in the area that had become his home.
“I’d been living near Exmouth Market and had found that people living in Islington were very welcoming – there was more of a community than where I previously lived in south London – I loved it,” he says.
He has also enjoyed getting to know the area around Packington Square, which is home to a stretch of the Grand Union Canal as well as several garden squares. It is also within easy reach of the bars and restaurants of Upper Street.
“The Packington area is beautiful and, although I don’t go out much in the evenings because I’m working, a massive aspect of living in Islington is there are so many different bars and restaurants,” he says. “Plus it’s very central, which means it’s really convenient to get everywhere.”
“I’ve also found a few new things since I’ve moved in; for example there is an annual canal festival organised by the local community, which I didn’t know about, and I’ve discovered some parks that are lovely too.” Being in zone one also means that it is easy and cost-effective for him to get to work in the West End. “I walk down the canal every day to go to work, which is great,” he adds.
Chris says that the support he received from Hyde New Homes throughout the buying process was invaluable as a first-time buyer. “Buying your first home, particularly if you are on your own, can be quite overwhelming,” he says. “Hyde made it very easy and, even now I’ve moved in, they are still on the end of the phone and are happy to help if I need anything.”
Having lived in his new home for a couple of months, Chris says he has found the experience of buying his own place “empowering” – although he admits that it comes with some added responsibility. “It’s wonderful and has made me overwhelmingly happy!” he says.
Name: Chris Leask
Age: 29
Occupation: Actor
Property: Two-bed apartment at Packington Square
Housing association: Hyde New Homes
Location: Islington, N1
Deposit: £105,000
Share: 25 per cent for £169,375 (full market value £677,500)
To find out more about shared ownership homes across London with Hyde New Homes, visit hydenewhomes.co.uk or contact the sales team on 0345 606 1221