The Building Societies Association (BSA) and The Investing and the Saving Alliance (TISA) have called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to remove ‘unfair’ penalties and outdated rules to schemes designed to support first-time buyers.
Lifetime ISAs (LISA) and Help to Buy ISAs (HTB ISA) have already helped hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers on to the property ladder, by giving a 25% boost to their savings when they buy their first home.
However, to ensure these schemes continue to be relevant to first-time buyers, The BSA and TISA have urged the need for reform.
One of the reforms suggested by the industry bodies was a reduction of the Lifetime ISA withdrawal penalty.
Currently, if a LISA saver buys a home above the LISA property price limit, or if they need to access their savings for any reason other than to buy a home which may be necessary due to the effects of the rising cost-of-living, they pay a penalty withdrawal fee of 25%.
This results in them not only forfeiting the Government bonus, but also a chunk of their own savings too.
According to the BSA, reducing the LISA penalty withdrawal fee to 20% would allow savers to retain all of their own savings, albeit still forfeiting the Government bonus.
For somebody who has saved £4,000 a year for five years in a LISA, the penalty for using their savings towards buying a house above the property threshold would be all the Government bonus of £5,000, plus an extra £1,250 of their own savings.
In addition, the BSA and TISA have also called for an increase in Lifetime ISA and Help-to-Buy ISA property price thresholds.
LISA and HTB ISA property price thresholds are different, which is not only confusing but also unfair for the savers who are subjected to much lower thresholds than others in the schemes.
It also makes no sense that a lower threshold is applied to properties outside London for would-be first-time buyers who are saving in the HTB ISA (£250,000 outside London and £450,000 in London), whereas the threshold applied for those saving in a LISA (£450,000) is the same whichever part of the country the property is in achieving this dream.
Despite a 30% increase in house prices since LISAs were introduced, the thresholds on both schemes have remained unchanged.
This is preventing some first-time buyers’ from buying a home within the price limits.
According to the recommendation, equalising the thresholds in the two schemes and increasing it to £550,000 across all regions, along with a commitment to review the thresholds on an annual basis, would ensure both schemes remain relevant for first time homebuyers.
Robin Fieth, chief executive of the Building Societies Association, said: “The Budget on 6 March is a great opportunity for the Chancellor to make small changes that would have a big impact for would-be first-time homebuyers.
“The change to the withdrawal penalty that we are calling for was introduced on a temporary basis during the Covid pandemic and provided much needed support to consumers in that difficult time. That shows it can be done.
“I would urge the Chancellor to re-introduce this on a permanent basis, ensuring the spirit of these savings schemes, which is to encourage young people to start saving to buy their first home, remains intact.”
Carol Knight, chief executive officer at The Investing and Saving Alliance (TISA), added: “The current LISA framework needs to better serve savers.
“Our recommendations seek to address the limitations and complexities within the system, fostering an environment where investing and the possibility of owning your own home is more accessible for all.
“Helping more people to start their financial journey in life with effective support through the LISA is a huge opportunity for the Chancellor.
“Not only can implementing these reforms help more people make use of this scheme when looking to get on the property ladder but by making LISAs more flexible and attractive, we can also empower individuals to build robust retirement portfolios, enhancing their financial security in later life.”
