Christopher & Tamzin’s Co-Own Journey

Christopher (32), a chef and Tamzin (32) a retail assistant, had previously been renting for 11 years. They had always dreamed of owning their own home and each week would put aside money for their deposit.

However, after getting married and having two children, along with some unexpected expenses soon found themselves having to dip into their savings. Covid-19 hit and their dream of owning their own home seemed to be pushed further out of reach.

It wasn’t until Christopher got chatting to an old friend about the struggle of trying to buy a home that he learnt about Co-Ownership. Christopher had never heard about Co-Ownership, so after visiting the website and talking to a financial adviser about their options, he and Tamzin decided to apply. They found the application process straight forward and sale agreed what they believed to be their perfect home however, due to Covid-19 the vendor had to pull out of the sale. Again, the couple felt like the goal of owning their own home was not going to become a reality. Christopher recalls ringing Co-Ownership to tell them that the house purchase had fell through and says “The lady I spoke to on the phone just kept telling me that everything would be ok and that Co-Ownership would help us in any way they could. She really helped calm me down.” Shortly after, the couple found their perfect home, put down an offer and as they say the rest is history!

The couple were driving when they got the call from their Estate Agent to say that they could pick up the keys to their new home. Christopher isn’t ashamed to admit that when he heard the words, “you can pick up the keys”, he got emotional, as after everything they had been through to get the house, it was finally a reality. Christopher and Tamzin took a 60:40 share with Co-Ownership and have worked out that they are saving around £200 a month compared to renting.

Describing how he feels about being a homeowner Chris says, “Absolute pride, I’m 32 and a lot of my friends had already bought their homes a few years ago, so it feels amazing to be able to say I’m now a homeowner. We have both worked so hard to get to this point, it’s amazing, the kids can paint their rooms whatever colour they want, they have space to play outside, and we don’t have to worry about a landlord giving us 4 weeks’ notice.”

Glynis Hobson Director of Customer Services said, “We just love to hear stories like Christopher and Tamzin’s, it’s why Co-Ownership exists to help people and families become home owners. The last year has been very tough and my team and I are here to help our customers on their home ownership journey. We wish Christopher and Tamzin well in their lovely new home.”