Shared Ownership is providing thousands of aspiring homeowners with a more affordable path to home ownership, offering lower deposits and greater accessibility. For those aiming to achieve full ownership, the process of staircasing to 100% is both simple and attainable.

Staircasing provides a route to full homeownership by allowing homeowners to increase the share they own as finances allow. There are no fixed timescales, meaning that buyers can increase the share of their home that they own according to their individual financial circumstances. As such, the process can give outright home ownership to many of those who fear that it may be beyond their reach.

Staircasing enables buyers to gradually increase the percentage of the home that they own. At Radley Reach in Abingdon, for example, buyers can purchase a 40% share of a house from £150,000 with a deposit from 5% at £7,500. They pay a subsidised rent on the remaining share to Sovereign Network Group (SNG). The buyer then has the freedom to purchase additional shares in the property, as and when circumstances allow.

Purchasing additional shares through staircasing delivers a range of benefits. The more of the home that the buyer owns, the less rent they pay, with no rent payable once they reach 100%. In addition, the greater the share the buyer owns, the greater potential they have for capital appreciation if property values rise (hometrack projects a 2% increase over the course of 2024[1]). Buyers who borrow to purchase a larger share of their property may also find that the larger loan opens up lower interest rates and a greater choice of mortgage products to them.

Buyers generally choose to staircase at the time that their mortgages come up for renewal, avoiding re-financing costs. Typically, shared owners will staircase by a minimum of 10% at a time, although this can vary depending on their individual lease conditions. Those who've purchased a share of a home under the new Shared Ownership model will also have the option to staircase at 1% per year for 15 years from the date that they purchase the property. SNG's staircasing and resale team are happy to talk to customers about their individual needs and help them understand the specifics of their lease.

Buyers using the staircasing process with SNG have plenty of flexibility when it comes to how they grow their property ownership. They can purchase additional shares in incremental chunks, or jump from (say) 40% ownership straight to 100%.

The process itself is simple. After assessing affordability, the buyer arranges an independent valuation of their property in liaison with the SNG staircasing team. They share the valuation with SNG, who then confirm what the additional share will cost and how much of the property the buyer will then own. The remainder of the process – instructing solicitors and completing – runs along the same lines as the purchase of the initial share.

David Ward, Resales and Staircasing Manager at SNG, comments: “Staircasing unlocks full homeownership at the buyer's pace. It means they can take a first step onto the property ladder and then progress at their own pace and circumstance. It provides hope for those who aspire to own their own home, breaking down the otherwise insurmountable barriers to outright ownership that so many buyers face. I would urge anyone considering staircasing to talk to us, we are always on hand to help.”

Keen to find out more?
Use our staircasing calculator https://my.sovereign.org.uk/shares-calculator
Email us on staircasing@sovereign.org.uk
Call us: 0300 330 0718

NOTE:
Individual lease conditions apply. There are costs involved in purchasing additional shares through staircasing, just as there are when purchasing an initial share of a property (or, indeed, buying one outright). Legal fees, surveys, valuations and the costs of borrowing must all be factored into affordability. Stamp Duty may also be payable. The independent valuation is essential for working out the cost of the additional share that the buyer wishes to purchase. The only exception to this is for buyers who choose to staircase at 1% per year for the first 15 years (in which case a valuation is not required every year).

-ENDS-

Please contact the SNG team at The Oracle Group at sng@oraclepr.co.uk or 0208 394 2821

About SNG

SNG (Sovereign Network Group) is one of the largest housing associations, providing over 82,000 homes in areas facing some of the most acute housing need across London and the South of England, with an ambition to build an additional 2,500 homes a year by 2026. It was formed on 1 October 2023 through the bringing together of Sovereign Housing Association and Network Homes.

SNG is a leading builder of affordable homes, including for social rent, and it has a clear pathway to maximise its social and environmental sustainability through its ambitious Homes and Place Standard alongside its planned £100m Community Foundation.

SNG is a member of the G15 group of London's largest housing associations. The G15 is the collective voice of some of the leading organisations in the housing sector. Its members house one in ten Londoners and are the largest providers of affordable homes in the capital, building a quarter of all London's new homes, and owning or managing more than 600,000 homes.