The Gateway, Bexhill

Shared ownership is a government-backed scheme, designed to make stepping onto the property ladder more affordable. You buy a portion of a home normally with a mortgage and a deposit, and pay a low-cost rent on the rest.

The eligibility criteria for Shared Ownership is simple; as long as you don’t currently own, or won’t own another property when you move in to a new home, you’re likely to qualify.

Your annual household income (that’s both yours and your partners’ if buying together) can’t exceed £80,000 (or £90,000 in London) and you’ll need to have savings to cover purchasing costs such as solicitors fees and your mortgage deposit. There’s no fixed minimum income; you just need to be able to afford to buy the home and the monthly costs - this will be established via an affordability assessment.

No - the scheme is designed to help people buy a suitably sized home that they cannot afford to buy otherwise. That typically means first time buyers, but if you've owned a home before and are selling, perhaps due to a divorce or needing to buy a bigger home, and cannot afford to buy, you might be eligible for Shared Ownership.