A popular website promoting HomeBuy in the south-east is being extended to cover the whole of England. Moat, a housing association that owns the domain - www.homebuy.co.uk - has written to all HomeBuy Agents nationally offering to extend this web based information service. The extended national website will go live early next year.

Moat launched www.homebuy.co.uk in April 2006 at the time when the government launched the HomeBuy portfolio of low cost home ownership products. Moat is the government's appointed HomeBuy Agent in Essex, Kent and Sussex. Since then Moat has shared the website with two other partners - Thames Valley Housing Association and Catalyst Housing Group, who are also HomeBuy Agents in other areas of the south-east, all of who offer one-stop-shop enquiry and application services to people looking to access affordable home ownership. This decision to extend the website across the whole of England means that the website will offer an online one-stop-shop for people wherever they need to live.

Marilyn DiCara, Moat's director of sales and corporate marketing, said: "This website at www.homebuy.co.uk has been incredibly popular. The website comes up at the top of the list when anyone googles the word HomeBuy. This is an indication of the sheer popularity of the site."

Marilyn DiCara continued: "HomeBuy is an identifiable brand that people now associate with affordable home ownership. In most areas where property prices are through the roof, more and more people are looking to HomeBuy as a viable option to get a first foot on the property ladder."

"This joined up approach to extend the website nationally demonstrates our ethos to provide a first class service to our customers by working together to promote HomeBuy products and services."

Since the beginning of 2007 the www.homebuy.co.uk website has received almost two millions hits.

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About Moat:

Moat is a housing association that has provided affordable homes for people in the south east over the past 40 years. With particular strengths in affordable home ownership and key worker housing, Moat also provides general needs home for rent.

Employing 450 people and managing over 18,000 homes for rent and shared ownership, Moat is one of the Housing Corporation's development partners and is also the government's appointed HomeBuy Agent in Kent, Essex and Sussex.

Moat's aim is to be a leading housing association offering excellent customer service and building high quality affordable homes within thriving communities.

www.moat.co.uk

Notes for editors:

Please refer to us as 'Moat' in any editorial. Thank you.

More information: Jodi Taylor, communications manager, Moat Email: jodi.taylor@moat.co.uk Tel: 0845 359 6360