Shared ownership houses for sale | What is shared ownership?

How does it work?

Eligibility

Staircasing

Considerations

Shared ownership houses

Shared ownership

SO Resi Cranleigh

by SO Resi

Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8WQ

1 & 2 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom maisonettes

from £28,750 for a 10% share
£287,500 - £410,000 Full Market Value

Nestled between the rolling Surrey countryside and the charming village of Cranleigh, you’ll find Leighwood Fields – an exquisite new development set in a hidden oasis, yet just moments from the vibrant Cranleigh High Street. SO Resi is proud to present 25 new homes within this stunning development, comprising 20 one and two bed apartments and 5 two bed houses available to buy through Shared Ownership. All properties have an allocated parking space or private driveway, and the kitchens and bathrooms have highspecification finishes. The timber-framed buildings, boutique shops and independent eateries of historic Cranleigh are just a short walk east, with Guildford station located just 20 minutes drive north – connecting you directly to London Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Woking, Petersfield and Portsmouth.

Shared ownership

The Willows

by Platform Housing Group

Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6LN

2, 3 & 4 bedroom houses

Prices coming soon

Introducing The Willows, a beautiful collection of two, three and four-bedroom homes for sale in Rutland in the East Midlands. This brand-new development is located in Oakham, recently voted one of the best places to live in the UK in 2025. Offering contemporary living amongst stunning vistas, rolling hills and a charming market town, The Willows is ideal for families that want to live in the countryside and enjoy stunning scenery, exceptional schools, everyday amenities and a relaxed environment. Oakham itself is home to all of the amenities you’d expect of the largest market town in the region, including charming pubs, independent shops and restaurants, local markets, transport links and some of the best schools in the entire county. There are around 20 schools in and around Rutland - comprising both primary and secondary schools. Three of them are rated ‘Outstanding’, while the rest are rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted - highlighting the educational excellence that the area offers children of all ages. Located between Nottingham and Leicester, Oakham is often lovingly referred to as the Notswolds due to its similarities with the Cotswolds, but with a more affordable property market.

Shared ownershipGreen features

Final home available!

Clarence Place

by Legal & General Affordable Homes

West Parley, Dorset, BH22 8EB

1 bedroom apartments

from £55,000 for a 25% share
£220,000 Full Market Value

Final home available!A new community of Shared Ownership homes in West ParleyClarence Place provides a range of contemporary new 1 bed apartments available with Shared Ownership in the popular area of West Parley, Dorset.Each home has been designed to be energy-efficient and offers a high specification throughout featuring open plan living spaces, modern fitted kitchens and allocated parking.Residents can take advantage of Parley Cross Crossroads bus stop just a one-minute walk away offering trips to Wimborne and Bournemouth.Clarence Place is perfect for first time buyers, commuters and those looking to downsize.

Shared ownership

How does Shared ownership work?

Shared ownership allows you to buy a share of a new house and pay rent on the remaining part. It is a government-backed incentive scheme, primarily aimed at helping first time buyers onto the property ladder. You can also use it to buy a bigger home than you can afford on the open market.

The percentage you can purchase may be different depending on where you buy the home:

In England, you can buy shares of between 10% and 75% of the full market value
In Scotland, you can buy a 25%, 50% or 75% share
In Wales, you can buy shares of between 25 and 75% of what the home is worth

Shared ownership is also known as ‘part-buy, part-rent’.

You will purchase your shared ownership property via a housing association or council. The home will be a new build or a re-sale of an existing shared ownership property, of which you’ll need to purchase the same percentage of shares as the existing owner, or more.

You will need a deposit and a mortgage on your share of the property that you are buying. The remaining share is owned by the housing association or council, and you will pay rent comprising up to 3% of this amount.

Although the housing association may have shares of up to 90% in your home, you will become the owner of the lease. As the leaseholder, you will be responsible for repairs inside the property and the housing association will take care of the outside.

To cover any costs that might be necessary for outside work, you will need to pay a service charge, usually paid monthly. It is a good idea to find out how much the service charge is and factor that into all monthly outgoings before you agree to buy.

Shared ownership eligibility

In England, this scheme is available to those in a household with a combined income of less than £80,000 a year (or £90,000 in London), and you are unable to afford a deposit and mortgage payments on a suitable property for you and your family. In Wales, you must have a combined income of less than £60,000.

There are other criteria you must meet, such as:

being a first time buyer, or
if you used to own a home but can no longer afford to buy outright, or
you want to move from one shared ownership property to another, or
you're setting up a new household, for example after a relationship breakdown, or
you currently own a home, and wish to move but cannot afford to buy outright.

You will also need to have no outstanding credit issues, so make sure you get your finances in order before you apply.

Criteria varies by country, so be sure to check before applying.

A development of Shared Ownership homes in England

What is Staircasing in Shared ownership?

You can buy additional shares of your home, usually in increments of 10%, until you own the majority or all of your home. Some older leases set the minimum amount at 25%, and newer ones may allow you to buy as little as 5% at a time. There are some instances where you may be able to buy 1% shares.

This process is called staircasing and allows you to own more of your home as you earn more money or can afford a bigger mortgage. Each time you wish to purchase more shares, these will be based on the value of the home at the time of buying the shares, and not the value of your home when you first bought it.

You will need to pay for a professional valuation of your property to determine the value of the shares before you can buy them. Buying more shares in your home will also mean paying less rent.

Things to consider before buying a Shared ownership home

There are other factors which may impact your decision on whether shared ownership is right for you:

You will still need a deposit for the mortgage portion of your home, usually between 5% and 10% of the value of the mortgage.
All usual moving fees apply including surveys, stamp duty and legal costs.
If you’re aged 55 or over, you may be eligible for Older People’s Shared ownership (OPSO) but bear in mind, you will only be able to own up to 75% of your home.
If you are a key worker, then a percentage of properties through housing associations will be allocated to those who work for the NHS, police, local authorities, Ministry of Defence and many more. Ask the housing association for more information.

Useful links

Find out more about shared ownership in England

Find out more about shared ownership in Scotland

Find out more about shared ownership in Wales

Shared ownership providers

The following housing associations and developers have shared ownership properties available throughout the UK which you can enquire via this website: