From Uncertain Renting to Shared Ownership Success at Acton Gardens
Acton Gardens is an exciting regeneration project in West London between L&Q and Countryside that is transforming the neighbourhood of Acton. When complete, the development will house over 2,800 new homes, with buyers forming part of a new, integrated and continuously growing community.
L&Q is offering Shared Ownership homes at the development, providing a helping hand for buyers. Among the new faces of Acton Gardens are Sean and Laura, who purchased a 25% share of a one-bedroom apartment.
After four years of dating, Sean and Laura had made the decision to live together - they found an ideal flat to rent in Ealing and moved in straight away. Sean says: “We were very happy in our rental flat. We’d been living there for about a year and then one day the landlord told us he was selling the property. It came as a real surprise to us, and we just weren’t sure what to do next.”
Following some research, Sean and Laura came across Shared Ownership. Sean explains why they decided to buy through the affordable home ownership scheme: “We knew that we didn’t want to keep jumping around rentals, and decided we wanted to buy somewhere. We knew we couldn’t afford to buy on the open market, so thought we would look into whether we could qualify for Shared Ownership.”
Sean continues: “We came across L&Q’s homes at Acton Gardens. The process was really straightforward – we got an email about a week or so before the homes launched and easily organised a viewing for the launch weekend. We went to look around and really liked the whole development, so we put our name down straightaway.
“Before we registered, we did a lot of research into the area to make sure it was a good fit for us. We love being just a ten minute walk from Chiswick – we go there every couple of weekends and it’s such a lovely place to be near. We’re just five minutes from Acton Town station – Laura works in central now which is really convenient on the Piccadilly Line. I teach at a school in Paddington and cycle along the canal to and from work every day.”
As well as carefully researching the area, the couple had specific requirements for their future apartment – which have been fulfilled.
Sean adds: “Acton Gardens is perfect for what we wanted. One of the most important things for us was the size of the property – we didn’t want to outgrow the place. Our apartment is really spacious; it’s got a great open-plan kitchen and living room, with enough space for a full dining table. There’s a really lovely balcony which is under cover and not on a road, overlooking the courtyard gardens.”
Happily settled in Acton, Sean and Laura are enjoying life in their new home. Sean concludes: “We won’t be moving anywhere anytime soon. We might consider staircasing but right now it’s too soon to say. Either way, we’re definitely happy staying here for a good few years."
Prices start at £111,250 for a 25% share of a one-bedroom apartment, with a new, recently launched show home available to view. Call L&Q on 0333 003 3636 or visit lqpricedin.co.uk/properties/acton-gardens/