Shared Ownership - A Call for Evidence

The Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government Select Committee has set up an inquiry to consider the challenges associated with shared home ownership schemes. 

Shared ownership has had its challenges over the years with many who have entered into the scheme feeling disillusioned by the process and the limited options available to them once in the scheme. 

The inquiry will consider the barriers to achieving full home ownership and whether shared ownership is genuinely an affordable route to owning a home as well as the challenges around reselling, affordability issues such as service charges and maintenance responsibilities, and questions around mortgage availability and the limited range of providers.

The Committee is seeking evidence on the following points:

• Do the schemes Shared Ownership and Right to Shared Ownership provide good value for money for the potential users of the scheme?
• How can the Government ensure that Shared Ownership and the Right to Shared Ownership remains an affordable programme in light of rising provider costs and inflation?
• What support can be offered to Shared Ownership tenants given the impact of leasehold properties?
• What impact, if any, are changing sector regulations having on the Shared Ownership and Right to Shared Ownership Scheme?
• Is there a lack of mortgage providers for Shared Ownership properties?
• What challenges are associated with repair costs being covered by those utilising the Shared Ownership schemes?
• How viable is full ownership through the Shared Ownership scheme and/or the Right to Shared Ownership Scheme?
• Does the Right to Shared Ownership policy in its current form reduce homeownership risks for individuals from lower income backgrounds?
• What more can be done to secure the Shared Ownership scheme as an affordable route into home ownership?
• How does the variation of costs from Housing Associations and other providers impact the Shared Ownership Scheme and the experience of tenants or potential buyers?
• What should be done to improve the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ data collection regarding Shared Ownership and the Right to Shared Ownership?
• Are alternative schemes such as ‘Rent to Buy’ viable and do they offer more value for money?
• What more should be done to support first time buyers and those from lower hold incomes onto the property ladder?

Evidence can be submitted by Thursday 14 September 2023. 

This inquiry, along with the proposed changes in the Renters (Reform) Bill and the Court of Appeal case in Avon Ground Rents Ltd v Canary Gateway (Block A) RTM Company Ltd [2023] EWCA Civ 616 is a positive step for those considering Shared Ownership with the direction of travel being that Shared Owners are to be treated on par with full long leaseholders which only increase the demand for the product.