The relaunched Scottish Government-backed Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme is offering a lifeline for buyers taking their first steps on the property ladder.

The scheme is already making a huge difference in Aberdeen – a property hotspot that is listed as one of the most expensive places in the UK to buy a home.

First time buyers, Nicole Sutherland, 24, an implementation consultant in the oil and gas industry and her fiancée Colin Stewart, 24, a graphic designer, took their first step onto the property ladder thanks to the previous Help to Buy scheme after finding their ideal home at the Persimmon at Riverside Quarter development.

Nicole Sutherland said: “The Help to Buy scheme couldn’t be easier. We found out we were eligible for the scheme within a couple of days and were instantly attracted to Persimmon’s Riverside Quarter development. The location is fantastic and using Help to Buy made buying a genuinely affordable option.

“We found renting in Aberdeen to be very expensive. A one bedroom apartment was much more expensive to rent and we now pay less each month on our mortgage for our own two-bedroom home.

“The staff on site have always been happy to help from the first day and the site manager still pops round to check everything is ok.”

Persimmon at Riverside Quarter is a new collection of two, three and four bed terraced, semi-detached and detached homes.

Lorraine Clelland, sales director at Persimmon Homes North Scotland, said: “People can so easily become trapped in the rental market, paying out large monthly amounts that leave little scope to raise the deposit they need to buy their own home.

“Help to Buy has opened the doors for buyers desperate to buy their own home and live somewhere that is truly theirs. “

Eligible first-time buyers and existing homeowners purchasing a new build at Persimmon at Riverside Quarter pay a 5 per cent deposit when using Help to Buy (Scotland) and get a 15 per cent equity loan from the Government reducing mortgage borrowing to just 80 percent of the value.

The Scottish Government supported equity loan is interest free and is paid back as a share of the sale price once the property is sold in the future.

Lorraine added: “Our sales advisors are always on hand to help people through the process and find it very rewarding to see how happy buyers are when they realise how far their money can go and the great home they can actually buy, often for a similar monthly outgoing as their rent.”