Shared Ownership Property

Buying a home through a shared ownership scheme is a great way to get your foot on the property ladder, but as the process can be complex it is important that you appoint an experienced conveyancing solicitor to ensure that your purchase proceeds smoothly and that you get the keys to your new home as soon as you can. Our service is fast and efficient, delivered at a fair cost and explained to you in simple, jargon free language that is easy to understand.

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For more information, please contact our team on 0800 195 6412,

email us at enquiries@steplegal.co.uk or pop in to see us for a chat.

What clients are saying…

Step Legal Solicitors are Rated Excellent!

What more can i say?…

What more can i say?…. this company and to be specific Anees offer a service which should be envied by all other legal conveyancers. If you want a job done,

Mr Robinson

Professional and compassionate

I went to Steplegal after an industrial accident and was seen by Anna Rushton, who immediately put me at ease with her professionalism and compassion. Nothing was too much trouble

Mrs B

fantastic service

The service I received from Mr Hussain and the colleagues was

Mrs F
Longton Stoke on Trent

pleasant experience

The overall mark out of ten for my experience has got to be 11. Thank you to Mr Abid Hussain for making an unpleasant experience

Mr A
Crewe

excellent communication

I was delighted with the way you handled my case. I tell everyone you are excellent in every way possible i.e. communication, prompt replies to everything, phone manner and what

Miss A

Satisfactory

I was glad that Mr Abid Hussain was there to take my call. Abid dealt with the claim expeditiously and I am grateful that he and his ladies were always

Mr G
Lodsworth Peter Sussex

Recommend to family and friends

Dear Mr Abid Hussain, I would like to thank you for the cheque I received this morning. I am more than pleased with the result for the compensation claim for

Mrs B
Crewe

excellent service

I received excellent service. Mr Hussain explained everything in detail and I never had to worry about a thing beyond signing a few papers. Thank

Miss K
Crewe

pleased with the service

I have been very pleased with the service you have gave me and thank you very much for all your hard

Mrs W
Crewe

Thorough and to the point

I felt reassured with what you were doing for me. It was thorough and to the

Mr W
Sandbach Crewe

Helpful and good team work

Just like to say thank you and it’s been so helpful. Very good team

Mr E
Wistaston

well informed advice

I received well informed advice and was updated throughout the process. I was dealt with very courteously by Mr Hussain and his

Mr F
Nantwich

Fantastic service

Fantastic service from start to

Mrs D
Cheshire

Good service

I have received a very good service from Mr Hussain and was very pleased with the outcome. I was always able to see someone to help if

Mrs H
Milton Stoke on Trent

Fantastic

Fantastic friendly and very helpful professional advice, at any stage of process. Highly recommend anyone who needs

Mrs M
Winsford

Very Friendly

I found staff to be very welcoming and friendly. Service I received was very informative and

Mrs G
Crewe

Thank you for help

Dear Solicitor, Thank you very much for all your help. When I am older I am going to use the money to open up my own sweet shop. It is

Miss P
Frodsham

best interests

It was excellent from start to finish. I felt I was always informed and that my best interests were at

Ms L
Great Sankey Warrington

 Excellent staff

Excellent staff, polite and

Mr F
Winsford Cheshire

Great

Great communication, quick response to any queries. A pleasure to do business with you. Highly

Mr W
Crewe

Thank you

Thank you for helping me with my claim. As for improving your services, the way you handled my claim was first class. No need for changes. Thank you and good

Mr L
Wednesbury West Midlands

A complete pleasure

Anna has been brilliant throughout the whole process and I would recommend her to anyone. She is very polite and thoroughly hard working. A complete pleasure to have known. Service

Mrs H
Newcastle-under-Lyme

Great communication

From the first meeting with Anna, I felt I was in good hands. Very professional throughout, great communication at each stage and received clear information. Thank you Anna for your

Mrs P
Newcastle-under-Lyme

Happy with everything

Fantastic! Everything was dealt with efficiently, professionally and with warmth which eased any stress which was felt at the time of the incident. We were so impressed with all aspects

Mrs M
Stoke-on-Trent

Recommended services

My case was managed by Anna Rushton. Since winning my case I have recommended Anna’s services to a friend. I found her guidance and assistance second to

Mrs D

Sound advice

Miss Anna Rushton has handled my affairs throughout this case. I would like to be known that she has provided a thoroughly professional service at all times. Courtesy, sound advice,

Mrs B
Congleton

Reliable and good service

Spread the word to other lawyers of how to be reliable and give a good service. It is rare these days for people to be consistently reliable, informative and always

Mrs M
Stoke-on-Trent

Efficient and professional

I would like to thank Anna Rushton for her efficiency and professional services as well as for her friendly

Mrs P
Northamptonshire

Shared ownership at a glance

When you buy a shared ownership property, what you are buying is a long lease with a housing association or registered social landlord which gives you greater security than if you were renting and which you can cash in and sell on if you decide that you want to move.

 

The arrangement is a complicated one where you part rent, part buy under a shared equity agreement, but in essence it works like this:

 

  • you will take a stake in the property of between 25 to 75 per cent, with ownership of the remainder staying with the housing association or registered provider;
  • you will need to obtain a mortgage to fund your purchase and on which you will have to make regular mortgage payments;
  • you will also need to pay rent to the housing association or registered provider, but at a lower rate than usual and in proportion to the share that they have retained, together with a service charge to cover repairs and maintenance;
  • there will be a leasehold agreement setting out your respective rights and obligations and which you will need to observe to avoid the risk of your lease being terminated;
  • if you want to increase the share that you own, this will usually be possible through a process known as staircasing; and
  • if you want to sell your share then this will also be permitted, although it is likely that the housing association or registered provider will have a right of first refusal which means that you must offer to sell to them first before you can advertise your share on the open market.

 

 

How we can help

Our experienced conveyancing team understand the complexities associated with share ownership schemes and are on hand to support you through the process from start to finish. Drawing on our specialist knowledge of the affordable housing sector, we can:

 

  • explain how your shared ownership arrangement will work and confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria;
  • clarify the percentage share you would like to take and the approximate cost of acquiring this, taking account of mortgage, rent and service charge payments together with other usual outgoings;
  • help you to understand the terms of your lease and the details of any restrictions that may apply, e.g. where there is a prohibition against subletting;
  • investigate the housing association or registered provider’s ownership of the property through an examination of their title deeds, and make any necessary searches and enquiries to ensure that everything it as it should be;
  • liaise with your mortgage lender and carry out any checks that they require;
  • prepare the purchase agreement and property transfer, unless the housing association or registered provider wishes to prepare these instead; and
  • complete the transaction and register your interest at the Land Registry.

 

We can also assist where you wish to increase the share that you own through staircasing or if you have decided to sell your share to enable you to move on.

 

Why choose Step Legal Solicitors?

Our expert lawyers offer specialist advice on the purchase and sale of shared ownership homes and have a wealth of experience in dealing with both new build properties and existing housing stock being offered up for sale through a shared home ownership scheme.

 

Our in-depth knowledge means that we are well placed to ensure that your transaction proceeds according to plan and that you are able to move into your new home in as little as six to eight weeks.

 

And because we understand that buying a property can be expensive, we promise to do our best to keep our prices as low as possible and in every case commit to explaining our fees in a clear and transparent way so that it is easy for you to budget for our costs.

 

Want to find out more?

For more information on buying or selling a shared ownership property through Step Legal Solicitors, or on residential sales and purchases more generally, please contact the head of our residential conveyancing team, Anees Khan, on 0800 195 6412 or via email at enquiries@steplegal.co.uk.

 

We are able to help wherever in the country you are based, whether that be locally in Crewe or another Cheshire town like Nantwich, Northwich, Sandbach or Macclesfield, or even further afield in the neighbouring counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, Merseyside or Greater Manchester.