Last year, national house builder Bovis Homes launched a new purchase assistance scheme for serving forces personnel, aimed at making the process of buying a home both easier and more affordable.
The All Inclusive Armed Forces Discount Scheme was launched at a special event alongside the company officially signing the Armed Forces Covenant, and is aimed specifically at helping active service-personnel onto the property ladder.
With many service individuals having never purchased a home, the process and costs can seem quite daunting. So Bovis Homes drew on its links with the military to develop this unique scheme. The company has a long history of supporting the UK Armed Forces, and this initiative is the latest steps in becoming the go-to house builder for the Forces.
With more than 100 locations across England, including a number close to key military bases, Bovis Homes builds a broad mix of house types to suit all types of buyer, with a focus on family homes.
The unique discount scheme includes money off the cost of a Bovis home (£500 for every £25,000 spent) and a £500 contribution towards legal costs as well as a package of extras which includes carpets and flooring, curtains and blinds and integrated kitchen appliances. This means that when you move in, all you need to bring is the furniture.
When combined with the Forces Help to Buy initiative* and Government-backed Help to Buy equity loan, it forms what Bovis Homes is calling ‘Trinity’, a package exclusive to the company. With Trinity, service-personnel can benefit from an advance from the Forces towards their deposit, an equity loan from the Government which can open the door to lower mortgage rates, and Bovis Homes’ unique discount, making buying easier and more affordable than ever for Forces families.
For Melissa Tuite and her husband Oliver, a Staff Sergeant in the 1 Signal Regiment based at MOD Stafford, helped them to afford a larger property than they first thought, and took away much of the hassle of moving home.
“We’d been looking to move for a while but due to the nature of my job, things like applying for a mortgage and viewing potential new homes are a challenge – there’s certain things we can only do together, but I am often away with work or unable to take time off,” Oliver explains.
The family used the Trinity package to buy a new home at Bovis Homes’ St George’s Park location, just a short distance from MOD Stafford.
“The whole process was simply explained and easy to understand. We knew then that the full ‘Trinity’ package was the perfect option for us – we wouldn’t have been able to afford our new home without it. It’s nice to see that there are companies out there caring for service personal and their families,” Melissa adds.
The scheme is open to serving members of the UK Armed Forces, as well as active reservists, and is available at the company’s 100-plus locations across England.
Alongside its new scheme, Bovis Homes is also developing new ways to support Forces families when working for the company. It has extended its work with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), helping ex-servicemen and women to find new on-site roles in construction, as well as offering extended leave to staff who are also reservists to ensure they can carry out their duty.
If you are interested using the All Inclusive Armed Forces Discount Scheme and Trinity to buy a brand new Bovis home, go to
http://www.bovishomes.co.uk/information-on/schemes-for-the-armed-forces/, or visit any of the Bovis Homes locations across the country:
http://www.bovishomes.co.uk/
*Separate qualification criteria apply