Recommendations & Conclusions
5 items
2
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Shared Ownership
Rejected
The Government should as a matter of urgency explore the implications of changing the terms of shared ownership leases delivered under current and previous iterations of the Affordable Homes Programme so that shared owners only ever have to pay service charges for repairs and maintenance proportionate to the size of …
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The Government should as a matter of urgency explore the implications of changing the terms of shared ownership leases delivered under current and previous iterations of the Affordable Homes Programme so that shared owners only ever have to pay service charges for repairs and maintenance proportionate to the size of share they own.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects changing shared ownership lease terms for existing homes to ensure proportionate service charges, citing potential disruption and their focus on current legislative priorities. They will not consider major changes to the Affordable Homes Programme before its conclusion in April 2026.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
3
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Shared Ownership
Rejected
Rent to Buy may represent a better value for money product than shared ownership, but there is insufficient evidence to come to a firm judgement on this at present. Both Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership as affordable home ownership schemes need to be better understood in terms of their …
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Rent to Buy may represent a better value for money product than shared ownership, but there is insufficient evidence to come to a firm judgement on this at present. Both Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership as affordable home ownership schemes need to be better understood in terms of their affordability and how far they enable 100% homeownership. The Government must as a matter of urgency begin collecting evidence, in liaison with mortgage lenders and providers, in order to assess the viability and affordability of Rent to Buy relative to shared ownership. It must also collect and publish data around staircasing trends over time within shared ownership. These data should then inform the proportion of shared ownership and Rent to Buy homes allocated within the next iteration of the Affordable Homes Programme.
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Government response AI summary
The government dismisses the urgent assessment of Rent to Buy vs. shared ownership, stating their similarity under AHP and inappropriateness for private schemes. While it has adjusted data collection for staircasing and will review publishing it, it rejects using this data to directly inform the …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
17
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Shared Ownership
Rejected
We urge Homes England to update its Capital Funding Guide for shared ownership to specify that providers should only be selling shared ownership properties on the condition they set up and maintain specialist teams of professionals who can provide accurate, timely and accessible advice on leases and lease extension to …
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We urge Homes England to update its Capital Funding Guide for shared ownership to specify that providers should only be selling shared ownership properties on the condition they set up and maintain specialist teams of professionals who can provide accurate, timely and accessible advice on leases and lease extension to shared owners. Homes England could help facilitate the establishment of these teams through, for example, convening forums through which experienced providers could share best practice.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees on the importance of specialist advice, noting existing information documents and ongoing work. However, it rejects the recommendation for Homes England to mandate specialist teams via the Capital Funding Guide, stating it's not something they expect to enforce, and notes existing sector-led …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
23
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Shared Ownership
Rejected
We welcome the Government’s confirmation that the Regulator is preparing to introduce a new, proactive consumer regulation regime. However, for the next round of tenant satisfaction data collection, the Regulator must update the measures to include satisfaction with repairs and maintenance for shared owners. (Paragraph 116) Selling shares and building …
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We welcome the Government’s confirmation that the Regulator is preparing to introduce a new, proactive consumer regulation regime. However, for the next round of tenant satisfaction data collection, the Regulator must update the measures to include satisfaction with repairs and maintenance for shared owners. (Paragraph 116) Selling shares and building safety
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation to include satisfaction with repairs and maintenance for shared owners in the next round of TSMs, stating shared owners are responsible for internal repairs and changes cannot be made for the current collection year. It defers potential future changes to …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
25
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Shared Ownership
Rejected
The Government should either require providers to buy back shares from shared owners in situations where they are trapped and unable to sell shares due to building remediation issues, or if not, set out the reasons why it has decided not to do this. It should also undertake an assessment …
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The Government should either require providers to buy back shares from shared owners in situations where they are trapped and unable to sell shares due to building remediation issues, or if not, set out the reasons why it has decided not to do this. It should also undertake an assessment of the potential merits of requiring provider buyback of shares as an automatic entitlement for shared owners. If this were to be implemented, the Government would need to increase grant funding to providers to cover the additional costs incurred. (Paragraph 134) Shared Ownership 43
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects mandating providers to buy back shares from shared owners, stating it would lead to unintended consequences and is a commercial decision for providers. Instead, it encourages voluntary buyback and transparency about existing buyback policies.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government