Education

Why Shared Ownership provides a perfect family home

4 August 2026

Shared Ownership is a very popular way for people to get onto the property ladder in England, but there’s a misconception that it’s only suitable for single working professionals who want to move into big cities. 

The reality is that Shared Ownership family homes can be an affordable way onto the property ladder. Families who have maybe rented their entire lives or experienced a recent change in circumstances are turning to Shared Ownership for a sense of community, stability, and security. In fact, one family households make up 66.8% of all UK households – many of whom have chosen Shared Ownership to get onto the property ladder. 

To understand why, let’s run through some of the most common reasons that people opt for Shared Ownership with their family.

1. More secure than renting privately

When you rent a home, you’re at the whim of a landlord. This means that if they want to change anything about your home or give you notice to evict you, there’s not much that you can do to challenge them. 

With Shared Ownership family homes, you own a share that gives you security you won’t find elsewhere. This eliminates the constant threat of disruption that renting can bring, and gives you the opportunity to lay down roots in an area suitable for your family.

2. Making your house a home

Our homes are an extension of our personalities. But if you rent, you might feel limited by the number of changes that you can actually make to your space. A landlord might not allow you to put up colourful wallpaper that brightens up a room, nor add an extension if your family expands and you find yourself running out of room. 

Shared Ownership fixes this. From the moment you move in, you can personalise your brand-new Shared Ownership family home as you see fit – whether that means bringing in new furniture, or painting the walls to match your unique aesthetic. You have free rein to make your new house a home, and you’ll only have to speak to your Management Provider about structural changes that affect the property.

3. Desirable areas to live

Some people think that Shared Ownership homes are only available in major city centres like London or Birmingham. Though we do have plenty of attractive developments in these locations, there are also plenty of Shared Ownership family homes available across the wider country – including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Leicestershire. 

All of these homes are situated in convenient, appealing areas with local amenities right on your doorstep. For a growing family, this includes highly-regarded schools and exciting entertainment centres that make the prospect of moving even more enticing.      

4. More affordable than you think

Any growing family has plenty of outgoings to deal with, and you might assume that moving into a Shared Ownership home will be too expensive to consider. But you might be surprised by the fact that often, Shared Ownership is actually cheaper than buying privately or renting! 

This is because the national average mortgage payment is £1,080, but the average 25% share on a Shared Ownership home will cost you £691 – a 36% saving. You’ll then need to pay other fees like a service charge, but your monthly total will still likely be lower than what you’ll find elsewhere. 

5. Increase ownership over time

When buying a Shared Ownership home with family, you’ll purchase the largest share that you can comfortably afford. Your monthly payments will then consist of your mortgage, service charge, and rent that is calculated based on the property’s remaining shares. 

This doesn’t have to be the end of the process, however. Many owners choose to staircase their shares, which is a process that involves incrementally purchasing a larger share to reduce the rent that you’ll need to pay. This increases your ownership over time, making your overall costs lower in the long term.