Professional Mortgage Services is an approved adviser by Help to Buy South West, the Government appointed Help to Buy Agent for South West England and is authorised to carry out financial reviews on their behalf.  If you are looking to buy under the Help to Buy shared ownership scheme you will need a financial review carrying out and should choose an appropriately authorised financial adviser. Contact us for further information.

Shared ownership schemes

Shared ownership schemes are provided through housing associations. You buy a share of your home (25% to 75% of the home’s value) and pay rent on the remaining share.

You’ll need to take out a mortgage to pay for your share of the home’s purchase price.

Shared ownership properties are always leasehold.

Eligibility

You can buy a home through shared ownership if:

• your household earns £60,000 a year or less (or £66,000 a year or less in London for a 1 or 2 bedroom property, or £80,000 a year or less in London for a 3 or more bedroom property)
• you’re a first-time buyer (or you used to own a home, but can’t afford to buy one now)
• you rent a council or housing association property

Buying more shares

You can buy more shares in your home any time after you become the owner. This is known as ‘staircasing’.

The cost of your new share will depend on how much your home is worth when you want to buy the share. If property prices in your area have gone up, you’ll pay more than for your first share. If your home has dropped in value, your new share will be cheaper.

The housing association will get the property valued and let you know the cost of your new share. You’ll have to pay the valuer’s fee.

Applying for a shared ownership scheme

To buy a home through a shared ownership scheme contact the Help to Buy agent in the area where you want to live.

 

We can offer tailored conveyancing packages specifically for shared ownership properties, contact us if you'd like to have a quote.