A family from Basildon have managed to break the cycle of renting and paying 'dead money' to a landlord by moving into a shared ownership home.

Nicola Rust, and her husband Dave, were living in rented accommodation before deciding to secure their future through the shared ownership scheme.

They purchased a two-bedroom apartment at Maplewood Court, a Sempra Homes' development, located in the heart of Basildon's town centre.

Mrs Rust said: "Through our mortgage company we were able to purchase a 53 per cent share, and only have to pay a deposit based on this share.

"The affordability has also been similar to what we were paying in rent on our smaller rental property, but we love the fact that we are investing in our future."

Sempra Homes plans to launch Ghyllgrove, another development with a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom homes in Basildon later this year, with more details available via semprahomes.co.uk.