Tag: affordablehousing

After years of renting and house-sharing, Vanessa, a 35 year old NHS nurse, has bought her first home in London at Pocket Living’s Woodside Park development, one of a limited number of schemes designed to support key workers and first-time buyers onto the housing ladder.

Having lived in London since 2017 after relocating from her family home in Portugal, Vanessa initially stayed in hospital accommodation before moving into shared private rental flats across north London.

“I thought I’d have to move out of the city to buy”

Like many first-time buyers, she assumed buying a home in the capital would be out of reach.

“I’d always thought about having a place of my own one day but with London being so expensive and deposits being so high I honestly thought it would never happen, or that I’d have to move out of the city to buy”, explains Vanessa.

“As a nurse, renting somewhere on my own just wasn’t possible and so I stayed in house shares so I could save, even though it meant sacrificing my own space.”

“Online mortgage checkers suggested I would need significantly more money than I had saved”

One of the biggest barriers for Vanessa was the assumption that she didn’t have enough savings for a London deposit.

A survey of 1,000 Londoners aged between 25 and 45 by affordable housing developer Pocket Living found that Vanessa isn’t alone in this view. The research found that more than a quarter (26%) of renters cite raising a deposit as the main barrier to homeownership, while a further 31% pointed to the cost-of-living crisis. Among key workers, 7 in 10 (70%) said raised living costs have delayed their plans to buy their first home.

“Online mortgage checkers suggested I would need significantly more money than I had saved, so I felt quite certain that homeownership was out of reach. It was only when I saw Pocket Living homes listed in North Finchley, which I knew were sold at a discount, that I decided to complete Pocket’s online affordability assessment, fully expecting not to qualify”, Vanessa said.

“I really didn’t think I’d pass the assessment. When I got the email saying I could book a viewing, I thought there must have been a mistake.”

The Woodside Park apartment was the first and only home Vanessa viewed and it immediately ticked her boxes when it came to its location and design.

Vanessa said: “I hadn’t even spoken to a mortgage broker when I went to see it. I was just curious, but I ended up filming the flat for my family and friends and one of them joked that I was already acting like it was my own.

“The location was perfect. I work centrally but also study in North Finchley, so having the Northern line and bus routes on the doorstep was really convenient. I was also struck by the building itself, and particularly fell in love with the brickwork and the rooftop terrace.”

After speaking to an independent mortgage broker, something Vanessa strongly encourages other first-time buyers to do from the very start of their home buying journey, she realised buying was genuinely achievable.

“The amount I was told I could borrow was completely different from the figures I’d seen online from banks, around £50,000 more. If I’d relied on those calculators, I would never have tried to buy”, said Vanessa.

Vanessa purchased her one-bedroom Pocket Living apartment for £299,000, supported by a 5% deposit incentive from the developer, alongside her own savings and money invested into her Lifetime ISA.

From first viewing in May 2025 to moving in at the end of July 2025, Vanessa found the process very straightforward.

“The whole journey was surprisingly smooth. Pocket Living recommended a solicitor who understood the product, and everyone was so responsive. Buying on my own felt daunting, but I always felt supported.”

“It really feels like a sanctuary”

Vanessa continues: “When I moved in, it felt very surreal and didn’t really sink in for a while. I almost felt like I was on holiday. There was a lot to organise, especially doing it on my own, but once I settled in and made it my own, I realised how happy I was here.”

Vanessa says the difference between renting and owning has been life-changing.

“Coming home after night shifts to a quiet, peaceful space that’s completely mine feels amazing. I can cook when I want and take my time, rest properly during the day and just switch off. It really feels like a sanctuary”, says Vanessa.

“As part of the wider development there is also bike storage, which is really convenient. I didn’t have that in my previous flat. Now I have the extra space I have upgraded my bike and am excited to use it to travel into work in the summer.”

Having lived in Belsize Park for a number of years, Vanessa knew she loved the North London area and the nearby green spaces, but was really struck by the quality of the high street in Woodside Park.

“The high street is even better than where I lived before. There are cafes, grocery shops, a supermarket, a gym and a great yoga studio – basically everything you could need, with lots of choice.”

“I wouldn’t have settled for a home just because I could afford it”

Reflecting on her experience, Vanessa believes there is a clear need for more schemes that support first-time buyers, particularly in high-cost areas such as London.

“When I was thinking about buying at Woodside Park, I researched prices of other newly built one bedroom homes in the area and I felt that they were way more expensive. As a first time buyer I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford them but I also wouldn’t have settled for a home just because I could afford it either.

“I wanted somewhere that was right for me, that was well designed and built to last. As well as its beautiful brick exterior, I was also pleasantly surprised by how spacious the Woodside Park homes were. The high ceiling heights create lots of space and let lots of light in, it’s the perfect size for me.”

Buyers own 100% of their property, which are sold at a 20% discount to the local market.

To be eligible to purchase a Pocket home at Woodside Park N12, the prospective buyer can’t already own another property, and must live or work in London. All buyers must earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing (currently £90,000). When the homes are sold on, new purchasers must meet the original criteria including a household income below the Mayor of London’s affordable housing threshold.

For more information or to register interest in a Pocket home, prospective buyers can visit www.pocketliving.com or call 020 7291 3683.

Hannah Evans (29), a corporate partnerships fundraiser for the Royal Albert Hall, has had her sights set on owning her own home in London since she was 21 but firmly believed that in order to buy she would have to move out of the capital and leave a job that she really enjoyed.

“For me, it was either rent in London and remain at a company that I love or move out of London and become a homeowner, I really didn’t think I could have both. During the pandemic, I found myself looking for jobs outside of the Capital just so I could have a fighting chance of getting on the property ladder. There are similar companies in Manchester, for example, but for me it is not the same as London”, says Hannah.

Before learning about Pocket Living, Hannah rented for five years in Vauxhall. “It was a brilliant location, but I found it unaffordable to buy. I don’t dare to even try to work out how much I spent in rent during that time.

“Working in the arts, I have to work to make my salary go far, but I have always worked hard to save my money and had both a full time and part time job. I also started doing small things such as swapping bank accounts because you get the £100 switching bonus – for 10 minutes of admin it is worthwhile doing”, notes Hannah.

Hannah heard about Harbard Close, a Pocket Living development in Barking, in December 2021 after reading about a current resident who had purchased there in a London newspaper. “I spotted the starting price and it was the first time I had seen something within my price range. I immediately registered and booked in a viewing. I put in my expression of interest two or three days later and it was accepted on the Friday. It all clicked into place and just made sense.”

Harbard Close is just half a mile from Barking town centre and is available exclusively to first time buyers either living or working in London. They are available at a 20% discount compared to the local market, and purchasers own 100% of their property.

“When looking for a home I knew that I wanted something with space and light, as well as a view but I appreciated that was asking for a lot. Yet when I visited Harbard Close and looked out the window I was greeted with a view of Canary Wharf. I could also see the BT Tower, the Shard, the Walkie-Talkie building, I was quite surprised about how much of the city was visible, says Hannah.

“My favourite thing about my home has to be the big windows and the view – we already have had some stunning sunsets as I am on the west side of the building. When the sky is clear it is absolutely beautiful.”

Building thriving communities

At each development Pocket Living strives to create thriving new communities, which Hannah noticed as soon as she moved into her new home.

“The really good thing about Pocket is that everyone moving in is a homeowner. We’re all invested in ensuring it continues to look presentable and we’re quite sociable. As well as the resident app, which helped me get to know who my neighbours where, I was also invited to join a resident WhatsApp group. People help each other out – just the other week I had a delivery guy call me and I just said in the chat is there anyone in who can buzz him in, and one of my neighbours replied immediately. It is the little things like that which you really appreciate, and I am really looking forward to when the weather improves so I can sit in the outdoor spaces with my neighbours in the evenings.”

Hannah hadn’t considered Barking as a location before reading about Harbard Close but decided to explore the area when she came for her viewing. “The thing that really surprised me was just how nice everybody is as you don’t always experience that in big cities. Just seeing the amount of regeneration in the area was also a plus, there’s new flats popping up everywhere so you know there will be more restaurants, bars and things to do coming soon.”

Staying connected

Harbard Close is less than a 10-minute walk from Barking station, which has access to the District and Hammersmith & City lines and the London Overground.

“I love the arts. The main reason I moved down to London was for the theatres, so to have that connection not feel too far away from me was hugely important. The District line is fantastic, it is like an artery of London and you can pretty much get anywhere,” concludes Hannah.

As of August 2022, all of the 78 one-bedroom discounted Pocket homes are reserved but apartments are available at Pocket Living’s latest scheme in Leyton, where prices start from £274,000. The development has been designed to incorporate a large selection of spaces for the new residents to enjoy, which includes two roof terraces; the Active Garden for exercise and play, and the Productive Garden where residents can grow their own fruit and veggies.

There are five other spaces to explore, bookable via the Pocket App, and includes an exercise room for HIIT and aerobics workouts, and a co-working lounge with comfortable seating, a social room that dons a pool table and a projector screen – ideal for movie nights – and an office-style space designated for quiet working. To encourage further togetherness, residents will be able to host dinner parties in the dining rooms that come equipped with their own kitchens.

For more information visit www.pocketliving.com or call 020 7291 3683.