Clara Ramsdale, 32, rented for over 10 years in London before being in position to buy her first home at Barratt London and Transport for London’s (TfL) joint venture development, Blackhorse View in Walthamstow, East London. Getting on the property ladder was only made possible for Clara, who is an Accountant for consumer group Which?, thanks to the Government’s 40% London Help to Buy loan combined with over a decade of savings.

Before buying, her most recent house share was in Clapton, Hackney, where she lived with three housemates and paid a monthly rent of £820. The borough of Hackney has seen some of the strongest house price growth in all of London, most recently jumping 4%[1] in just one month according to Rightmove. The only other boroughs to surpass this were Hammersmith and Fulham (6%) and Camden (6%). With that in mind, Clara knew she would need to venture slightly further afield to be able to buy.

“I love London, having lived here since I was 21,” she says. “I love the area around Clapton and Stoke Newington with its fun shops and pub scene, but it’s far too expensive to actually buy there. I knew I wanted to stay as close I could. Blackhorse Road is further up the canal, but still close enough, and most importantly still by the wetlands. I am really looking forward to a summer by the water, and my apartment couldn’t be closer – the views from the reservoirs are unbelievable. You can see over the wetlands to Canary Wharf on one side and the Shard on the other.”

Clara purchased a one-bedroom apartment for £390,000 at Barratt London and TfL’s Blackhorse View, which sits directly opposite Blackhorse Road station on the Victoria line and London Overground (with connections to King’s Cross in just 12 minutes), whilst on the doorstop of the tranquil Walthamstow Wetlands. With the 40% Help to Buy loan to assist with her deposit, her monthly mortgage payments are now just £526 – 36% less than the rent she previously paid.