This young couple have moved into their new home in Hartlepool in time to celebrate New Year.
Landlord and developer Karbon Homes has completed a £2.7m project to provide 22 new homes on a prominent site on Brierton Lane in Hartlepool.
Karbon worked with local contractor Gus Robinson Developments on the scheme which has seen the fifteen three-bedroom and seven four-bedroom homes made available through Rent to Buy.
This allows the residents to rent their property for up to five years while they save for a deposit to buy their home.
Matthew Hull, 27, a machine operator, has moved into a three bedroom home with his girlfriend Megan Whalley, 22, who works in a pharmacy. This is their first home together.
He said: “We’ve been living at my mum’s just round the corner – just 30 seconds away.
“We saw the development getting built, and to be honest, I had never heard of Rent to Buy, but we did a bit of research and we found it gives you five years to build your credit rating, save up and then see about a mortgage.
“We’ve got a brand new, three bedroom, semi-detached house. It’s nice to go from living with your mum, to having your own place, and it already feels like home now we’ve got carpets and blinds in.
“I like how modern these houses are – I like my tech, so this suits me well.”
The new development has been designed by NORR architets and sits in the midst of an established, high quality residential area.
This is the first time Karbon Homes, which owns and manages close to 30,000 homes in the North East and Yorkshire, has delivered new affordable homes in Hartlepool.
Karbon has set out an ambitious development programme across the north which will see the completion of 500 homes a year over the next five year.
The project was delivered with Homes England contributing funding of over £650,000.
Jayne Hore, Assistant Director of Development Sales & Marketing at Karbon Homes, said: “This is our first new build development in Hartlepool and we’re really pleased with the quality of the homes.
“We know there is significant demand for this type of property in this area, to allow people like Matthew and Megan to benefit from a high standard of accommodation and to plan ahead for getting on the housing ladder and eventually owning the home themselves.”
Karbon was assisted in delivering the new homes by Portland Consulting Engineers and consultants Elliott Associates.
Steve Bell, managing director of Gus Robinson Developments, the main contractor building the new homes, said: “Gus Robinson Developments have worked on a number of exceptional new housing developments with Karbon Homes all across the North East. Being based in Hartlepool, we really wanted this development to showcase the exceptional quality which Gus Robinson delivers. It is also the first time we have built Karbon Homes new house type range.
“We wanted to ensure Karbon Homes first development in Hartlepool was a success. The quality and style of these new homes should guarantee that.”
Anybody interested in finding out more about the Rent to Buy homes on St Aidan’s Close in Hartlepool can find more information at www.karbonhomes.co.uk