Help to Buy in Northern Ireland offers several options for individuals looking to buy their first property. Through Help to Buy Equity Loan, households can access financial assistance to buy their dream home. The equity loan is the only one of the various Help to Buy schemes in Northern Ireland. Other schemes include Shared Ownership and Help to Buy ISA. Shared or Co-Ownership is a Help to Buy scheme. In co-ownership, applications can buy up to 50% to 90% of a property. The balance of the amount is paid in rent to the Co-ownership Housing Association. Homeowners can choose to increase their property shares until they become the full owner of the property. This is called “stair-casing”. In order to qualify for Co-Ownership, the range of criteria is to be fulfilled by the applicants and the prospective properties. The properties that will be considered for co-ownership must have a value of up to £160,000. This is excluding apartments and one-bedroom houses. Applicants should not be able to afford to purchase the property without co-ownership assistance and should have no more than £6,000 in debt. Another Help to Buy scheme is the Help to Buy ISA, which is available for first-time buyers saving to buy a home. Saving through Help to Buy ISA provides an individual with a cash bonus amounting to £50 per £200 savings. A minimum of £1,600 triggers the reward while the maximum cash bonus is £3,000, which means saving up to £12,000.