Looking at the Conservative’s latest proposal about shared ownership right to buy, where tenants have the right to purchase a 10% stake, concerns from associations about the impact that might have on their funding ability are well placed, given how funders currently treat shared ownership.
Housing associations are about housing those who are in the most housing need; if, given the stable home housing associations can provide, over time tenants have enough income to raise a mortgage, there are plenty of government initiatives to help them get on the housing ladder.
From my extensive experience of voluntary right to buy (VRTB), for many tenants raising a mortgage is going to be a struggle; so, in practice there are likely to be few takers. And for those who do take up the opportunity, they are likely to be “locked in” to their shared ownership lease, unable to increase their stake.
Given that locking in, assumptions lenders currently make about the numbers of shared owners who will staircase out would need to change, and I would hope with it would be their view on how much could be lent against the property. In a way, this is the creation of a new form of intermediate tenure.
For associations there will also be the challenge of improving the market for shared ownership resales (some might say though, that is long overdue). What would be disappointing is for these new shared owners to find they could only leave their homes by co-ordinating their sale with someone willing to purchase 100% of the property; resulting in a loss of much needed social housing.
If the aim of the policy is for tenants to have access to the wealth creation that traditionally has been home ownership, let’s blow the dust off equity stakes; remember the CIH’s “Homesave”? It isn’t about the mantra of homeownership; it is about sharing wealth creation opportunities with those who now have little chance of doing so.
Please contact Jonathan Cox.
Providers need to be alive to the risk of contractors becoming insolvent and how to limit the resulting inevitable disruption.
Housing associations must continue to deliver core functions effectively and compliantly notwithstanding the uncertainty over the standards to which you will be held in the future.
Over the last few years the meaning of “asset management” has changed from being all about repairs to understanding that assets might not stay in an organisation forever.
The Grenfell Tower tragedy has understandably prompted a fundamental reconsideration of how building safety is approached for High-Rise Residential Buildings.
Results from the latest three-yearly valuation of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) are starting to trickle through.
The potential for Brexit with or without a deal causes uncertainty, and credit rating agencies do not like uncertainty.
Let’s face it, Wills are underappreciated and often overlooked. In fact, around 54% of the British public do not have one!
A recent case throws light on the scope of the exemption for “land transactions” from the need for an OJEU tender process.
A leaked report into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust revealed by The Independent has been described as the “largest maternity scandal in NHS history”.
The Pensions Regulator is showing its determination to improve the prudent management of Local Government Pension funds by digging deep into the internal workings of these funds.
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.