1,000 applications received under Shared Ownership scheme

The Housing Authority has received 1,000 applications under the second Shared Ownership issue.

A list of details of the applicants was recently published and was available for public viewing for seven working days. The processing of these applications has already begun.

This includes the verification that the applicants qualify under the set conditions, as well as the awarding of points depending on the category of the applicants, as laid down under this initiative.

In the near future, home visits will start to be carried out in the homes of the applicants. This is carried out since the categories of families (Category A) and single persons (categories C and C1) are given points depending of the conditions of the place they are living in.

The highest number of applications came from engaged couples with 545 applications and amounting to more than half of all applications with 54.5 per cent.

The second highest number of applications came from families with children with a total of 344 applications (34.4 per cent of all applications received).

Commenting on this, Marisa Micallef, chairman of Housing Authority, said: "Shared ownership has proved to be a huge success, and we are working on another scheme, specifically aimed to help first-time buyers, in order to better meet the huge demand for affordable home ownership."