Shared ownership
Shared ownership is a scheme that helps you buy your own home. It enables single people, couples and families to make the first step towards buying a home that they could not afford otherwise.
You can buy an affordable share of a property with a mortgage, your savings or both. Under the scheme you can buy between 25% to 75% of the full market value of the property. You will need a 10% mortgage deposit for the share to be purchased. You will pay rent for the share that you do not own.
You can buy more of the property later, in stages, if you wish. This is known as "staircasing".
Shared ownership eligibility
- You have a gross household income of no more than £90,000 per annum.
- You're unable to purchase a suitable home to meet your housing needs on the open market.
- You do not already own a home or you will have sold your current home before you purchase or rent.
What to do next
The housing association will ask you to fill in their own application form and invite you to look at the property. The association will then interview you to see whether you can afford to buy the property. You might need to fill in a budget plan showing your monthly expenditure including loans and travel expenses.
The budget plan makes sure that you will not run into financial difficulties once you have bought your home. You will also need savings to cover the cost of moving, such as legal fees, surveys and stamp duty.
As well as monthly payments for your mortgage, council tax, water rates and household insurance, you will pay rent to the housing association every month. This is calculated as a percentage of the share you do not own and divided into 12 monthly payments.
The housing association will increase the rent each year as stated in the lease. This is usually in line with the Retail Price Index. You will also pay a service charge to the housing association which is likely to include communal gardening, building insurance and management costs. Your lease will give you details.
If your home is new, the builder will be responsible for some repairs for the first 6 to 12 months. Otherwise, you will be responsible for any necessary repairs.
If you decide to buy more of your home, you will need to pay for the property to be revalued. An independent valuer, appointed by the housing association, will do this before you go ahead. The bigger share you own, the less rent you will pay.
You can also sell your shared ownership property.
For an informal chat about Shared Ownership please call our Affordable Housing Liaison Officer on 0208 359 6250.
Specialist shared ownership
Home Ownership for people with long-term difficulties (HOLD)
HOLD can help you buy any home that's for sale on a shared ownership basis if you have a long-term disability. For more information please go to http://www.mysafehome.info/ or call 08000121333
Older People
If you are 55 or older you can buy under the Older People's Shared Ownership scheme. You can still buy between 25% and 75% of a shared ownership property. The difference is you can only buy up to 75% but once you hit that share, you won't have to pay rent on the remaining 25%.
Where to find shared ownership properties for sale
New properties
We currently publish the details of new Shared Ownership properties in Barnet including the cost and income level needed. These vary for each scheme depending upon the size and value of the property and the portion you want to buy. The figures are carefully worked out by the housing association and the income will be the lowest possible amount.
If you are interested in one of these properties, please contact the housing provider directly, all telephone numbers are provided. Priority is given to existing council and housing association tenants, as this releases homes for the council to re-let.
Shared ownership properties in London
Go to Homes for Londoners for information on all shared ownership properties in London, including Barnet.
You can use Homes for Londoners to check if you're eligible, register your details and property preference by creating a customer user account and then search for a home that meets your needs. You can then contact the housing provider directly.
Shared ownership properties in England
Go to Share to Buy for all information on all shared properties in the UK.
Shared ownership resales
Shared owners may get approval from their landlord to sell privately. If they do so they can be sold through local estate agents and can often be found on online estate portals.