<p><span>Around 18,000 home completions stand to be lost under the current Help to Buy initiative this year due to construction delays caused by coronavirus, according to the Home Builders Federation.</span><span></span></p> <p><span>HBF’s estimates show that of this total, </span><span>11,000 would qualify under the new iteration of the scheme from 2021-23 but would need to delay legal completion until at least April 2021 for missing the practical completion deadline of December 31 by mere days.</span></p> <p><span>Of the total, an estimated </span><span>3,700 first time buyers planning to buy above the regional price caps under the new scheme would no longer be eligible for the new version, HBF’s data showed.</span></p> <p><span>And an estimated 3,700 non-first time buyers could not access Help to Buy if their practical completion date slipped beyond December 31, HBF said.</span></p> <p><span>For home buyers to qualify for the current scheme, homes must be practically completed by December 31. The updated version of Help to Buy, due to begin in April 2021 and ending in 2023, excludes second time buyers and is subject to regional price caps.</span></p> <p><span>David O’Leary, HBF’s policy director, said: “</span><span>Help to Buy has transformed the lives of people all over the country and provided businesses with confidence in …