Plan for the share you buy and the costs you keep
Buying part of a home can reduce the deposit you need, but the mortgage is only one part of the budget. Count Ready can help you assess the borrowing alongside rent, charges and the rules for the property you want.
Free initial consultation by phone or online. Further fees vary by case. Advice and fees
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Missing rent or other payments required by your lease can also put your home at risk.
The mortgage helps fund the share of the home you are buying. You also pay rent or an occupancy charge on the share you do not own. It is different from two people buying a home together with a joint mortgage.
A smaller initial share can mean a smaller cash deposit. It does not mean every bill is reduced by the same percentage, or that the total cost will be lower than other housing choices.
In England, the available starting share is usually 25% to 75%, with 10% available on some homes. New builds and shared ownership resales can qualify. The official England overview explains the model; check the advertised property and lease rather than assuming every home offers the smallest share.
These summaries were checked on 7 September 2026. They describe different routes, not one UK-wide scheme. Local property availability and individual eligibility still need confirmation.
The household income ceiling is £80,000 a year, or £90,000 in London. You must be unable to afford the deposit and mortgage payments for a suitable home and meet an eligible buyer category. First-time buyers are not the only group: former owners and some existing owners moving home can also qualify. Existing owners must complete their sale by completion of the shared ownership purchase.
Some homes require a local connection. See England’s eligibility rules.
Shared Ownership – Wales offers an initial 25% to 75% share with a repayment mortgage. The household income limit is £60,000. You must buy an eligible home from a participating landlord, meet the buyer and ownership conditions and pass the financial assessment.
Check the Welsh scheme overview and full eligibility requirements.
Housing association shared ownership can involve 25%, 50% or 75% shares and an occupancy charge. It is distinct from shared equity, including LIFT routes. Ask the relevant housing association what homes and applications are currently available locally.
Read Scotland’s shared ownership guidance; do not apply England’s income limits or lease rules automatically.
Co-Own is the mortgage-funded route from Co-Ownership. Its published range is 50% to 90%, with a maximum property value of £215,000. The organisation and lender make separate assessments. Co-Own for Over 55s uses savings or sale proceeds instead of a mortgage.
Use Co-Ownership’s current product information to check the route and criteria before proceeding.
Tell Count Ready the nation, provider and property details so we can confirm whether we can help arrange the proposed mortgage within our advice scope.
The lender sets the required deposit for your case. In England, government guidance describes deposits usually between 5% and 10% of the share being bought. A quoted percentage of your share is not the same as that percentage of the whole home’s value.
For a home valued at £280,000, a 40% share costs £112,000. If a lender accepts a 5% deposit on that share, you put down £5,600 and borrow £106,400. You still pay rent on the provider’s 60% share, plus other charges.
This is arithmetic, not a product offer or an affordability assessment. Keep buying costs and an emergency reserve separate from the deposit.
Use our mortgage repayment calculator for the borrowing element, then add the other costs separately. A fixed mortgage rate does not freeze rent or service charges. Ask what the combined budget would look like if any of them rose.
Upfront costs may include reservation, valuation, survey, legal and mortgage fees. Check refund terms before reserving. The England costs guide is a useful starting point alongside the property’s key information document.
Shared ownership can have special tax treatment. For qualifying arrangements in England and Northern Ireland, a market value election or staged SDLT treatment may be relevant. A normal purchase calculator is not enough to choose between them. Ask your solicitor to explain the initial and future implications using HMRC’s shared ownership guidance.
Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT. Our UK first-time buyer tax guide provides context; the solicitor must assess the actual scheme and transaction.
For an England shared ownership purchase, both houses and flats are leasehold at the outset. Ask a solicitor experienced in the scheme to explain the remaining term, rent review provisions, charges, permissions and resale restrictions. Other UK arrangements need their own legal review.
You can be responsible for substantial maintenance costs even with a small share. Some England leases have an initial repair period covering specified work, but this is not a general promise that the provider pays every repair bill. Check the remaining warranty, lease and claims process.
Ask about planned major works, building-safety information, any lender-required documents and the cost of extending the lease. A lender’s valuation is for its lending decision; consider a separate survey appropriate to the property.
Obtain any necessary written permission before structural alterations.
Staircasing means purchasing an additional share. It can reduce rent on the provider’s remaining share, but extra borrowing and transaction costs may offset that reduction. The price depends on the valuation rules when you buy more, not necessarily the original price.
England leases differ on minimum increments; some allow smaller purchases, including a conditional annual 1% route. Some homes restrict the maximum share, so 100% ownership is not universal. Check the key information document and official staircasing guidance. For borrowing changes, use our existing shared ownership remortgage guide.
In England, the provider normally has a nomination period to find a buyer when you own less than 100%. This is not a guaranteed buyback. Valuation, marketing restrictions and fees can affect the process; protected-area leases may have different rules. Read the official selling guidance and ask about your lease before buying.
If your share falls in value, selling may leave insufficient proceeds to repay the mortgage and costs. Avoid relying on a quick resale or guaranteed price growth.
Find a home offered through the relevant scheme. Request the full market value, available share, rent, charges, lease information and reservation terms.
Complete the provider’s required assessment and discuss borrowing with an adviser. Single and joint applicants, self-employed buyers and buyers with credit issues need individual checks. The provider’s assessment is separate from your choice of mortgage advice.
Use our mortgage document checklist. Include evidence of any gifted deposit and the provider’s property documents. Agree a secure route for financial and identity information.
The lender checks the application and property. Your solicitor checks the legal terms. For new builds, discuss completion timing and mortgage-offer expiry before making commitments. An agreement in principle is not a mortgage offer.
For specific circumstances, see self-employed mortgage guidance and the existing shared ownership and bad-credit guide.
We can review your borrowing needs alongside the share, rent and charges, explain mortgage choices within our advice scope and help prepare the application. Ask which products we can arrange. The provider decides scheme eligibility, the lender decides lending and your solicitor advises on the lease.
Our initial consultation is free. Further fees vary by case and are agreed before chargeable work begins. A processing fee may apply separately from an offer fee and is not charged in every case. We may also receive lender commission. Request the amount, payment stages and refund terms in writing; see our Terms of Business.
No. Rent or an occupancy charge pays for using the provider’s share. It does not buy more of that share. Increasing ownership requires a separate purchase under the scheme’s rules.
In England, existing shared ownership homes can be offered through a resale. Check the share being sold, remaining lease, rent, charges, repair arrangements and provider requirements. Do not assume the terms are the same as a newly built home.
You may be eligible, depending on the nation and scheme. England includes several categories beyond first-time buyers, but existing homeowners must complete their sale by completion of the shared ownership purchase. Ask the provider to assess your circumstances before reserving.
England’s Older Persons Shared Ownership scheme allows eligible buyers aged 55 or over to buy up to 75%; no rent is payable on the remainder once that share is reached. This is separate from Northern Ireland’s mortgage-free Co-Own for Over 55s product. Check the relevant provider’s full conditions.
Do not assume you can let the whole home or take a lodger. The nation, provider, lease and mortgage conditions matter, and some schemes prohibit subletting any part. Obtain advice and any necessary written consent before making a rental arrangement.
No. It fixes the mortgage rate for the agreed period, subject to the mortgage terms. Rent and service charges have their own review arrangements, while repairs and household bills can change. Budget for them separately.
Contact the lender and housing provider promptly to explain the situation and ask about support. Seek free debt advice if needed. Do not assume paying one bill makes it safe to ignore the other; mortgage or lease arrears can put your home at risk.
If you have found a home, tell us its location, full value, proposed share, rent and service charge. If you are still researching, we can start with your income, deposit and likely budget.
Reviewed 7 September 2026. General UK information, not personal mortgage, legal or tax advice. Scheme summaries are not a complete eligibility check. Availability, provider requirements and lender criteria must be confirmed for the property.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Missing rent or other payments required by your lease can also put your home at risk.
