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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of regional differences in access to shared ownership schemes.

The government is aware that some shared owners who wish to staircase face challenges in doing so. These can include affordability pressures, wider housing market conditions, transaction costs associated with staircasing, service charges and other ongoing housing costs.

As part of these wider affordability pressures, the government is aware that some shared owners have experienced challenges with service charge affordability. Service charges form an important part of the overall housing costs faced by many shared owners and can affect their ability to staircase.

The impact of these costs can also vary between different parts of the country. The government recognises that housing markets and affordability pressures differ across England, which can affect both access to Shared Ownership and customer experiences of the scheme.

To help address these challenges, the government has introduced new expectations for landlords including greater consideration of long-term affordability, increased transparency and fairness on costs, ensuring that fees do not generate a profit, and enabling customers to opt out of optional services.