Getting approval for Shared Ownership
When using the Shared Ownership scheme we’ll ask for you to complete a financial assessment with one of our panel mortgage brokers.
Navigating the labyrinth of mortgage lenders can seem like an epic quest, right? The thought of engaging with numerous banks and building societies might even send a shiver down your spine!
But fear not! We’re here to light your path. We collaborate with top-tier organisations that are masters in the realm of Shared Ownership mortgages.
What your assessment involves
One of our panel mortgage brokers will conduct a financial assessment to ensure you qualify for the Shared Ownership scheme and connect you with the perfect mortgage lender.
You can start this process online by following one of the links below…
These experts don’t just offer advice – they provide a roadmap to your financial capabilities. They’ll help you understand not only what you can afford, but also what you can comfortably maintain. They’ll guide you through the myriad of products and deals out there, ensuring you’re well-informed and confident in your choices. Plus, they’ll help you identify which homes are within your reach and the proportion of ownership you could acquire in your dream abode.
What information will I need?
During the application stage, our dedicated mortgage brokers perform a sign-off of your documents, ensuring that your income and expenses align seamlessly with our eligibility criteria. Beyond that, they’re here to guide you through the intricacies of understanding the potential monthly mortgage payments for your chosen property.
Even if you already have your own mortgage broker or an agreement in principle, we go the extra mile to conduct this essential check, ensuring your peace of mind throughout the process. Start gathering the documents below, having everything ready will ensure you are ready before anyone else.
Our Shared Ownership mortgage calculator
Discover the key to your dream home with our innovative Shared Ownership Mortgage Calculator, an essential tool for those navigating the increasingly popular shared ownership housing market. This user-friendly calculator simplifies the complexities of Shared Ownership mortgages, providing you with a clear breakdown of monthly payments, deposit requirements, and rent costs associated with a Shared Ownership property. Our calculator is designed to help first-time buyers, downsizers, and everyone in-between, understand exactly how much you can afford, making the journey towards homeownership more accessible and transparent.
Shared Ownership Mortgage FAQs
We ask one of our mortgage brokers for some answers to frequently asked questions.
Emilia Hunt is the Sales Director at Metro Finance, the largest Shared Ownership mortgage provider. They help around 2400 Shared Ownership buyers per month. Emilia has been part of Metro Finance for over 10 years.
We’ll bring regular updates so bookmark this page and come back for more content.
A Fixed Rate – As a first time buyer this is the most secure interest rate, irrelevant of whether the Bank of England base rate is going up or down as your interest rate will remain the same. It’s fixed for a period of time.
A Tracker Rate – This follows the Bank of England base rate so there will be times where a tracker rate can be beneficial but times such as now, where the base rate is increasing, you will find your monthly payments increasing each time this happens. This is a rate for those who are willing to take more of a risk and have disposable income to mitigate against the risk of payments increasing
A Variable Rate – This rate is normally set by the mortgage lender so doesn’t necessarily track the Bank of England base rate. Again it is always at risk of changing which puts your payments at risk.
But what is the downside of a fixed rate?
1) They can be priced higher although, at the moment, there appears to be very little difference between a fixed rate and a variable/tracker rate.
2) They could come with early repayment charges if you wanted to repay your mortgage during that fixed rate period.
3) If interest rates did drop you would not be able to take advantage, whilst you were on your fixed rate, unless you paid the early repayment charge.
Things to consider when looking at the mortgage term;
1) What age do you want the mortgage to be repaid by? Most people don’t want to take a mortgage into retirement and are keen to have it repaid prior to retirement. Or, you might want to retire early and pay more over a shorter term.
2) How much do you want your monthly payments to be? Always have a budget in mind and then set the term around this. You don’t want to be stretching yourself too much on your mortgage and then you can’t enjoy your new property but you also don’t want to be paying more interest than you need to.
Your Mortgage Advisor will discuss all of this in much more detail.
For example, if you have a mortgage of £200,000 over 30 years and you could afford to pay an extra £100 each month you could end up reducing your mortgage term by approx 5 years.
Similarly, if you had a mortgage of £100000 over 25 years and paid an additional £75 per month you could also end up reducing the term by approximately 5 years.
There are many factors involved in this, such as the mortgage interest rate you are on, so it’s something to discuss on an individual level with your mortgage advisor.
Many lenders allow overpayments of up to 10% per year of your mortgage balance but again check this with your advisor before you pay anything to make sure you don’t get any charges.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR RENT The information on this page is for guidance only and you should always seek your own independent advice. Mortgage advice is always personalised so it’s best to speak to a specialist mortgage advisor. The above is designed to give you an insight and not provide advice.