Preston couple use Deposit Unlock scheme to bag first home

Ryan and Catherine outside their new home in Leyland

A Preston couple who thought they would be renting for years have spoken about using a 5 per cent deposit scheme to get on the housing ladder.

Catherine Watkis and Ryan Barker, both 29, have moved into the Centurion Village development in Leyland.

Council worker Catherine said: “We had been planning to buy a home for some time but struggled to see an end goal for our saving. We enquired at Centurion Village and a couple of hours later, a lovely lady named Julie (Sales Adviser) made initial contact with us and invited for us to come down to the development.

“She was honest and trustworthy throughout the entire buying process, always helping with any queries or concerns we had and, thanks to being a little frugal and using the Deposit Unlock offer, we were able to afford a home that we thought was completely out of reach.

“Julie was the reason we chose to buy with Barratt Homes! She made us feel valued, welcome and her extensive knowledge helped us feel at ease.”

The first-time buyers scheme, known as Deposit Unlock, means new-builds priced up to £330,000 can be bought with a 5 per cent deposit and a mortgage on the remaining amount is 3.5% for a two-year fix through the Newcastle Building Society.

HGV driver Ryan said: “With leading busy lifestyles, we felt a new build was the best choice for our first home. Being able to set up in a lovely brand new home with a clean slate, and growing into a new community together just felt like such a great opportunity.

“We fell in love with Centurion Village as it has the best of everything. It is semi-rural, close to many towns, as well as Preston, and there is a lot of green space here too.

“The community here is fantastic, we feel so lucky and are enjoying seeing it expand as new families move in. We are excited to see this community grow and it just feels so lovely seeing more people.”

Michaela Lancaster, Sales Director at Barratt Homes Manchester, said: “We’re so excited to welcome Catherine and Ryan as members of our community here at Centurion Village.

“It’s fantastic that we are able to provide them with their first ever home and that our brilliant team has been so accommodating towards them. Customer satisfaction is of the highest priority to us here at Barratt Homes and we love to help our homebuyers make their dream move.”