Shared Ownership: 'It was offered as a dream however turned a foul dream'

The shared possession was tied as a step as a step to be on the property ladder, designed as a north for a tough housing market.

But there’s a rising wave of dissatisfaction behind Asha, as complaints for housing watchdogs – on restore, value and sale – have elevated.

“We had none of the rights of the owners of the house and all the responsibilities of the tenants,” Diana stated, who alongside together with her husband Chris purchased a standard -owned property in East London in February 2020.

Shared possession plans Buying a part of a property and paying hire on the remainder.

But the couple determined to promote in 2021 after discovering “painful”.

He needed to attempt to promote via that he was often called a nomination interval, throughout which the Housing Association or the owner has a particular proper to discover a purchaser for a standard -owned home.

Two years later and £ 10,000 deteriorated, they had been lastly offered on lower than the property they paid.

Diana stated, “This is a big cone and we were trapped.”

“Not being able to sell was a shock.”

They have gone again to non-public hire, as a result of based on Chris, it’s “very simple and easy”.

Now out of this, Diana says that she wouldn’t advocate the scheme as a result of “they sell it as a dream but then it became a bad dream”.

According to knowledge, there are at the moment about 250,000 shared -owned homes in England.

According to the English Housing Survey, there have been round 202,000 in 2019-20.

Although More widespread possession properties had been being given yr on yr, Complaints obtained via the request of BBC Freedom of Information (FOI) ACT present that within the final 5 years, complaints of shared possession have elevated by about 400%, and are growing.

FOI additionally obtained:

• The variety of complaints associated to the shared possession tenure to Ombdsman has elevated quickly; It obtained 1,564 in 2024 – about 5 occasions the 324 obtained in 2020
• Complaints of shared possession have elevated quickly than in depth social housing
• Of the complaints made within the final 5 years, 44% had been situated in London, and the second highest quantity within the southeast was

The most typical complaints are associated to restore, value, administration of relationships and switch of property and promote.

Kathy purchased a 40% stake with a buddy in a two -bedroom flat in North London in 2017. She pays a backed hire on the remaining 60%.

The 44 -year -old stated, “I don't have the bank of mam and dad. It was either it or hired most of my salary and realized that I will never stay on the property ladder or I have no place.”

“I love my flat and community. In terms of where the building is located and how close it is for London, these are all surprising things.

“But it has mega downsides, particularly about finance and transparency and degree of service supplier.”

Over the last eight years, she said that her cost had increased so much, including the increase in service charges of more than £ 200 per month, that she had to receive a logger and could not tolerate her to raise her share.

It takes several years to complete the repair, said, adding a buzzer broke for a year and a sewage system has been defective since 2012.

He said, “The sewage was flowing and flowing immediately into the river, and going to the youngsters's playground. It cools down in summer time.”

“He despatched all these advisors and he charged every little thing for us. The sewage system was not match for objective, so why are we paying?”

Kathy's Housing Association is not being named because his neighbors are afraid that it will devalue the property.

Kathy said, “It is not low-cost. I ought to have a logger dwell in my home to assist me pay and place my head on prime of water.”

“My lengthy -term plan is to promote – I can't proceed this fashion.”

Fatima bought a common -owned property in 2019 after being evicted from two rental properties when her two children were younger.

As a single parents, she said that “there was no means” she was able to get a hostage, so shared ownership was the “solely choice”.

Now “in a bind” due to an 80% increase in service fee within the previous year, Fatima complained to other people in the block and said they would not pay the growth until it was investigated.

Repair is a long issue, he said. When the BBC filmed in its flat, the communal corridors were heated to 31C (88F) and the lift was broken.

“The largest problem is that every one heating prices that go into our service payment are heating the communal hallway. The constructing is cooking from inside.”

He said that the shared ownership model was an “in-in-option that might work if it didn’t embody quite a lot of corporations”.

There was a freeholder who appointed a management agent, as well as a housing association, he said.

“We don't know who to go to, every little thing takes so lengthy.”

Fatima stated: “I’ve a property, however whether it is unmatched and ineffective then it’s not a property.

“It always happens in my mind. It causes a lot of anxiety.”

Housing Lokpal Richard Blackway stated the “inherent complexities” of shared possession made challenges to the landlords and residents.

He stated, “Shared ownership has been for decades, and still there are some inequalities, the way it works that is running complaints for us,” he stated.

He described a “mismatched” between the expectation and understanding of the shared proprietor and the owner.

“While it can begin as a smile, very soon we can see the relationship broke.”

He stated that the variety of events concerned on this might “be disappointing for a shared owner; a feeling of posting from the column and closing in different parts of the process”.

He stated, “I can also see from the point of view of a landlord that they always have all the liver in their hands to resolve the issue.”

“Keep it all together and you have found an ideal storm – and this is the land on our desk.”

He stated the landlords ought to enhance communication and transparency, and the federal government ought to “address fundamental inequalities in the way the shared ownership is designed”.

The shared possession council, a cross-sector initiative, stated that whereas it believes that in shared possession was “an important role to play” in assembly the wants of housing, it’s believed that it doesn’t at all times work and on the identical time it must be for everybody “and needs to address” main challenges “.

“We take the issues raised by the Housing Lokpal and share the house owners very severely,” stated this.

It is lately Developed a code “Best practices and standardization of client safety” ensure “transparency, equity, and higher help for shared house owners in advertising and marketing, procurement and administration of houses”.

But the shared owners of the campaign group, Timia Sazabo of the network says that it is “little or no, too late”.

“This is an space that has continuously didn’t observe its authorized obligations – some housing supplier who return the code are many malnutrition conclusions for his or her names,” he stated.

“We don't assume {that a} voluntary code of follow could have an excellent influence on their day-to-day expertise.”

Specially shared figures with 140 (59%) BBC Show 83 of members of the joint owners surveyed in February 2025 are struggling to sell their share, for the reasons including unresolved building security issues, high service fees and a small lease which shared owners cannot legally expand.

The spokesperson of the housing, communities and local government said that it was “conscious of the challenges confronted by some folks coming into the scheme”.

The spokesperson said that the government “to enhance the expertise of shared house owners, this yr to implement the measures to implement the transparency of service charges together with session, to make sure that leaseholders and tenants can catch their landlords higher”.