Friends Dani and Danielle bought a two-bed flat together at NewHayes in Hayes after years of renting and haven’t looked back since.

Danielle says “I decided to buy my home with a friend who I had already rented and lived with for two years; I had a huge amount of trust in the decision to invest in buying a place together as friends. Without each other we would not have been eligible to buy a home by ourselves in London.”

Like so many hard-working Londoners, Danielle found it impossible to purchase a home in London on her own. As a first-time buyer, she had been saving for her deposit for over two years, “I had been renting in London for three years, and I was fed up of paying someone else’s mortgage, when I could be paying my own! I saved as much as I could, and worked really hard, picking up extra shifts in my role as a nurse throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but I was still not eligible to buy on my own.”

Undeterred, Danielle made the decision to purchase her first home with a friend, Dani – a growing trend as so many face the same challenge in the current climate. “With the support of a friend, who I had already rented and lived with in Ealing Broadway for two years, we’ve been able to purchase a two-bed, two-bath flat together, which has a lovely balcony and comes with allocated parking too. 

“I had a huge amount of trust in our decision to invest in buying a place together as friends - without each other we would not have been eligible to buy a home by ourselves in London.”

One of many first-time buyers to have used from the government-backed Help to Buy scheme through Fairview New Homes, Danielle and Dani saw the benefit, “It made so much sense purchasing through the scheme as it gave us the chance to benefit from a greater home-buying allowance, and felt it the best decision for our situation. Our hope now is to pay off the loan within five years.”

With rental prices spiralling in the capital, Danielle felt frustrated by it: “I felt like I was throwing money away each month, so someone else could make a profit. By buying my own home, I knew I could invest my money and pay off my own mortgage - not someone else’s. 

“It was a lot easier getting onto the ladder than I first thought. We started looking at places in May, but as soon as we found the flat at NewHayes, it was smooth sailing – so much so, we were in by the end of June! It was unbelievably speedy; I had expected it to be much more stressful and difficult, but the legal advice we received was great, and the whole process was very straightforward.”

When deciding to buy their first home together, Danielle and Dani did their research, “We wanted to be sure we were purchasing the right home, in the right area, and with a trusted developer. After researching on Google, and with a recommendation from an estate agent, we were happy to proceed. One of the biggest selling points of Fairview was the warranty offered on the development, so the next step was finding the right home.

“NewHayes was my favourite development in the area by far; we like the style of it, and the fact that it isn’t a huge development makes if feel very homely, there is a great community feel too."

Though new to the Hayes area, there were lots that it offered Danielle and Dani, which immediately stood out, “The development is so close to the new Elizabeth Line, so I love how quick and easy it is to get into central London – much easier than it was from Ealing. But Hayes and the surrounding areas have so much to offer too, and with there being lots of available parking in the area it’s easy to get around. There are good shops within a 5 – 10 minute drive, as well as my gym – a David Lloyd, several parks, a brilliant outdoor pool, and a big Costco!” 

“With the council investing money in the regeneration of the area, and several more new build homes going up, the area is a great place to invest in, as it can only get better and better!

Wishing to share her house buying success story, Danielle hopes to inspire others to purchase a home and consider buying with a friend, if purchasing alone isn’t possible, “You can do it! If you cannot afford a property you love and have a very close and reliable friend, buy with them so you can both get out of the renting cycle!

“Ensure you get trusted legal advice, and the necessary legal paper work, just in case anything was to go wrong i.e. a very detailed deed of trust, and have every potential awkward conversation with your friend in advance, on all of the situations that could play out, to prevent trouble in the future.

“Explore around and get out of renting!"

In this video, Dani and Danielle share valuable insight on what motivated them to purchase their first home together, what the benefits are, and what their journey has looked like so far.

Dani and Danielle