Help to buy questions/experience

[Oceandegree]

I am looking to buy a home for the kids and I. Moved out of family home and separated from H about 3 years ago and we have been renting since. He is still in the 3 bed house in London. mortgage and deeds only in his name even though we were married. (not yet divorced)

I filled in the HTB form and got an acceptance email from my area. I have 3 children (2 girls 8,6 and a boy 4)
They said in the email i qualified for a 2 bedroom house.
Does this mean I can only look at two beds>?
If so, then this is out of the question as eldest is nearly 9.

Also does the acceptance cover the shared ownership and the equity loan. I wanted to apply for an equity loan but not sure if it's all under the same acceptance criteria.

I will have a large deposit (from h's 2nd home he owns that was rented out that he has said we could have proceeds from and currently awaiting to exchange contracts. (sold at 165K)
Do i have to apply for a mortgage or can I just pay a large deposit and get the rest through the equity loan?

When do I start looking at new builds and getting serious?
I was thinking about waiting until the money from the house is available but I also want to move asap with the kids in school.

Do new builds go through more quickly as they don't need surveys etc or do they?

Is it Housing Benefit who have said you qualify for a two bed?

No, I don't claim any housing benefit. It was what they put in the email :

''lease note that your lender may require a minimum 10% deposit for the share you buy, together with any applicable fees (this may be lower depending on the type of scheme). Your level of savings and deposit may influence your ability to proceed through any specific scheme or initiative.

Property Size

You are advised that all initiatives entitle you to seek a property with one bedroom in excess of your current need. We have calculated that the number of bedrooms you are eligible for is 2.

• If you are applying for Shared Ownership, please note there are no bedroom restrictions.

Prioritization

Most schemes listed on our website give priority to social tenants and other key groups; details of which can be found on our website, the individual provider will inform you of any further criteria that may affect your ability to purchase. ''

Also, I am not a social tenant, I am private.