Shared Ownership
Shared ownership enables you to buy a share of the property that you can afford, usually between 25 per cent and 75 per cent, and pay a rent at a level below market value on the remainder.
We help you work out what share you can afford to buy so that you wonít be stretched financially. With shared ownership you can usually buy further shares of your home as and when you can afford to.
There are some key criteria which must be met in order to qualify;
- Your household income must be under £60,000 per year (in London £66,000 for 1 to 2 bed and £80,000 for a 3+ bed property)
- You will need to provide documentary evidence of your income and bank account conduct, going back 6 months
- You cannot have any adverse credit recorded against you
- You must be able to prove that you can sustain the costs involved in buying or renting a home
- You need a deposit, generally more than 5% of the share purchase price. This should ideally have been built up.
- You must not already own a home in the UK or abroad
Mortgages
Buying Further Shares
Staircasing, as it's known. You can buy further shares in your home, moving up to owning it outright, at any time after you become the owner.
*You have to pay for the housing association to carry out an independent valuation. *The cost of your new shares will depend on the up to date value of your home, at the time you want to staircase. *The housing association will confirm the new price of further shares. *If prices in your town have gone up, the shares will cost you more than the original purchase. *If prices have dropped, shares will cost you less.Moving Home
If you already own the property outright, you can sell it yourself via an estate agent.
If you still own a share, you must offer it back to the housing association in the first instance, who will attempt to find a buyer for your "share".
The housing association (usually) have eight weeks to assist with the sale.
Your home becomes a "resale shared ownership" property and is not restricted to "new build" restrictions lenders have.
What happens next?
Get yourself an affordability and criteria assessment
Find a home, through one of the many housing associations around the UK. Good luck.