What is Shared Ownership?

You can buy a home through the shared ownership scheme if you cannot afford all of the deposit and mortgage payments for a home that meets your needs.

You buy a share of the property and pay rent to a landlord on the rest.

When you buy a home through shared ownership, you:

• buy a share between 10% and 75% of the home’s full market value
• pay rent to the landlord for the share they own
• usually pay monthly ground rent and service charges, for example towards the maintenance of communal areas

There’s a different way to buy a share of a home that you already rent – through Right to Shared Ownership.

Buying your share

The share you can buy is usually between 25% and 75%. You can buy a 10% share on some homes.

You can take out a mortgage to buy your share or pay for it with savings. You’ll also need to pay a deposit, usually between 5% and 10% of the share you’re buying.

You can buy more shares in your home in the future. This is known as ‘staircasing’. If you buy more shares, you’ll pay less rent. The amount of rent you pay will be based on the landlord’s share.

Homes you can buy through a shared ownership

You can buy:

• a new-build home
• an existing home through a shared ownership resale scheme
• a home that meets your specific needs, if you have a long-term disability – for example, a ground floor flat

Shared ownership homes are offered by housing associations, local councils, and other organisations. They are called ‘providers’ or the landlord.

All shared ownership homes (houses and flats) are leasehold properties.

Shared Ownership mortgages can be a good option for first-time buyers or those who cannot afford to buy a property outright.

To get the right mortgage advice, complete the mortgage form below and book an appointment with a mortgage and protection expert from Mortgage Decisions.

(Source: https://www.gov.uk/first-homes-scheme)