What is shared ownership and is it for you?

The property market isn’t easy to navigate, particularly for first time buyers and those on a tight budget. If you’re considering purchasing a shared ownership property, read on to discover if it’s right for you.

How it works
Shared Ownership is a government scheme, offering first-time buyers and those who do not currently own a home opportunity to purchase a share in a new build or a resales property. Designed to help those with small deposits and incomes get onto the property ladder, the premise is to buy a stake and pay rent on the leftover amount.

How to qualify
Criteria differs depending on the housing association, but generally to apply for shared ownership you must:
• Be 18 or over
• Not currently own a home
• Be unable to afford a suitable home
• Have a good credit score
• Earn £80,000 or less per year as a household

The Upside
If you opt for shared ownership, you will own a share of the property (typically between 25% and 75%) and a housing association will own the rest, which you will be charged for in rent at a rate much lower than market value. You can buy more of the property over time, but you only pay mortgage payments on your share, making the monthly cost significantly lower than a full ownership.

The Downside
Although there is the option to purchase more of the property over time, you can only add 10% each time, which is known as ‘staircasing’. In the time it would take to own 100% of your home, the house prices in your area could have increased, meaning you’ll have to pay more each time your house is valued.

Find Your First Home with The Guild
Ready to search for your first home? The Guild are here to help. Our team of trustworthy professionals will guide you through the process whilst offering as much help and advice as possible.

Financial Services

Contact a specialist from Aston & Co Financial Services for help with finding the right mortgage.

Read What Our
Customers Say

Jodie Skinner

From the beginning, our experience with Michael and Rhys has been brilliant. Whenever we had a question to ask or needed some additional information, they were both just a phone call away and were always happy to provide us with an answer. As first time buyers, they made us feel ...

Sue Smith

We can’t fault Aston and co in Syston, for their handling of the sale of our property. We were kept up to date weekly and nothing was too much trouble. Both Micheal and Rhys were approachable and very professional. I would definitely recommend using them for an efficient and hassle ...

Andy

Having had issues with other agents, we came to Astons who gave us an honest appraisal of our house – not overpricing it like others to gain business. Michael and Rhys are a great partnership and Rhys being local was able to provide viewers with information that other agents hadn’t. ...

Andy Freer

Recently sold our house with Aston & Co. We honestly could not have asked for more. From the moment Michael came to value the house, to the day to day communication from Rhys we have not had to chase them once. Michael and Rhys are a great partnership and a ...

V Pears

We chose Aston & Co in Syston to handle the sale of our property. We were kept up to date regularly and Michael and Rhys dealt with all matters efficiently and quickly.We would definitely recommend using them for an efficient and hassle-free move.

Gareth Mueller

We bought a house from a vendor who used Astons & Co as their agent. Rhys was helpful and professional from start to finish and regularly kept us in the loop with how things were progressing. Communication was efficient and swift all the way through.

Julie Pearson

From the first visit to value our property to the final phone call informing us of completion Rhys and Michael at the Syston office have been brilliant, down to earth, realistic with valuation very easy to get in touch with.Making everything less stressful.Regular updates were very reassuring . I would ...

Charlotte Hings

The team at Astons are great. They’re really down to earth, take time to listen and help resolve anything they can for you.Their communication is excellent as they always keep you in the loop with what is happening with your sale. They keep both seller and purchaser happy.Fees are reasonable ...

Julie Perkins

We have recently used Aston & Co to sell our property. At all times we received regular reports from them on interest and following viewings . When our property sold Astons managed the chain keeping all parties fully informed and I believe that without their input our sale would have ...

Tina Poole

Michael and Rhys handled both our sale and purchases. They had good local knowledge, their valuation turned out to be on point. Our sale viewings were nearly all on the same day and we accepted an offer very quickly. We were kept up to date regularly with that and our ...

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