Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency and fairness in the calculation and application of maintenance charges for shared ownership properties; and whether he will assess the potential merits of introducing clearer guidance to prevent unexpected or disproportionate costs being passed on to (a) leaseholders and (b) part-buy, part-rent tenants.

Most shared owners have a landlord who is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service. Tenants can therefore take complaints about service charges, not including fees, to the Ombudsman.

The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme places new expectations on shared ownership providers to improve customer experience. These include giving greater consideration to long-term customer affordability and increasing transparency and fairness on costs.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 July 2025 (HCWS780).