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Living in a Shared Ownership Home
Learn about your responsibilities as a Shared Ownership homeowner
Shared Owners are leaseholders
As a Shared Owner, you are a leaseholder, not a tenant, and therefore have certain responsibilities and restrictions, which are outlined in your lease. Your lease agreement is with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, one of the largest housing associations in the UK.
Pets
Some properties have restrictions on pets, so if this is important to you, check before you buy.
Subletting & lodgers
Your lease doesn't allow you to sublet your SO Resi home. However, we will consider individual requests and may give you permission to sublet for a short time with certain conditions. You may be able to have a lodger as long as you still live in the property. If you would like to do this, get in touch.
Running a business
Your lease does not allow you to run a business from your home that will impact your neighbours or the building itself. For example, running a pet day care centre or car garage is not permitted, whereas computer-based work such as a designer or copywriter is allowed.
If you are unsure about how this might impact you, please get in touch.
Repairs & maintenance responsibilities
As the leaseholder you are responsible for repairs and maintenance of things in the property, for example if the boiler breaks down whilst out of warranty. Your monthly service charge covers the cost of looking after communal areas of the building you live in.
Improvements & alterations
Your SO Resi home is yours to decorate as you like, but you need to ask Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing for written permission before making any major alterations.
Parking
Parking availability will depend on the individual property, so be sure to check with us before you buy.
Making your monthly payments
It's your responsibility to make all of your monthly payments, including your mortgage, rent and service charge. Failure to do so might lead to your home being repossessed.
Extending a short lease
If your property has a short lease - less than 85 years - it can be difficult to get a mortgage on the property, which can make it difficult to sell or buy more shares. Fortunately, it is possible to extend the lease.
This 3 minute video explains the lease extension process:
If you prefer, our PDF guide explains the lease extension process: