Leading housing association Sovereign Network Group (SNG) has been highly commended in the recent First Time Buyer Awards, highlighting the many ways in which it is supporting first time buyers on to the property ladder. Recognised in the Affordable Housing Provider of the Year category, the organisation is the UK’s second largest housing association builder and completed over 2,000 affordable homes in the past year including affordable rent and Shared Ownership homes.
SNG delivers a wide range of homes from stylish urban apartments to aspirational family homes and everything in between. Its popular Shared Ownership scheme has successfully offered a more accessible route into homeownership for many people, particularly first-time buyers. Not only does SNG select outstanding locations to develop its communities, but it also applies its market-leading Homes and Place Standard to every home it builds, ensuring it is setting the very highest standards for affordable homes and great places to live.
Supporting customers through their first steps into home ownership, SNG puts its customers at the heart of everything it does. Its trailblazing Homes and Place Standard is a framework that provides both existing and new customers with sustainable homes in beautifully crafted places where they can thrive now and in the future. In practice, this benchmark, together with SNG’s portfolio of standard house types, ensures the homes they build are more efficient, warmer and cheaper to run. New homes built to the standard will incorporate well thought out storage, flexible interior space and energy efficient features like enhanced insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and EV charging points, whilst pre-existing stock will be reviewed and adapted to make it more energy-efficient for residents. The high standard also means homes are set in well-integrated and sociable communities with green spaces that invite nature in, leading to better mental and physical health.
Lisa Moran, Sales and Marketing Director at SNG comments: “We are overjoyed to have been recognised with highly commended in the First Time Buyer Readers’ Awards. We believe this shines a light on the difference we are making to first-time buyers and those looking for a more affordable way to own the home they want. Our pioneering Homes and Place Standard gives us a very tangible way to demonstrate that our homes are designed to deliver what residents really want and need from their living space and wider community, meaning they can live a better, healthier life. We are proud to offer a wide range of Shared Ownership homes, as well as other tenures, and our focus on putting customers at the centre of what we do means we prioritise their experience and wellbeing.”
SNG was formed after the merger of Sovereign Housing Association and Network Homes last year, uniting to form one of the largest developers of social tenure developments with the target to deliver 25,000 homes over the next 10 years.
Rather than just offering small starter homes as Shared Ownership options, SNG has also made available larger family homes through this affordable route. At Cleve Wood in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, a selection of four and five-bedroom homes were available to purchase through Shared Ownership and have been a hit with buyers looking for a more affordable way to own a spacious family home.
One buyer at Cleve Wood had been living in a small three-bedroom rented house with their partner and two small children. They described how even after getting a degree and a better job, the family still couldn’t afford to buy a home on the open market, so the option of purchasing a larger shared ownership home was ideal. Without this, they wouldn’t have been able to buy their own home.
To find out more about Sovereign Network Group, visit www.sng.org.uk.