Do you think government should review how shared ownership works, and publish its findings? If your answer is “Yes”, please respond to a consultation by MPs. We explain what you need to know.
What is the Social Housing Bill [HL]?
The Social Housing Bill [HL] is a new piece of legislation which is making its way through Parliament (the House of Lords and the House of Commons).
What does the Social Housing Bill [HL] have to do with shared ownership?
During a debate in the House of Lords, Lord Young of Cookham proposed an amendment which would require the government to review the operation and effectiveness of the shared ownership scheme (in England), and publish a statement with any proposed actions in response to its findings. (Scroll to the end for the full text).
The House of Lords voted on Lord Young’s amendment, which was passed by 232 to 146 votes However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a review of shared ownership will end up in the eventual Social Housing Act.
The draft legislation is currently being reviewed in the House of Commons, where a number of MPs have raised concerns about shared ownership, including Danny Beales.
MPs have now established a Public Bill Committee to scrutinise the Bill. The Committee is calling for written evidence (when people give their views on the aims of the Bill and whether anything should change).
Anyone with an interest in the Bill can submit written evidence. So, if a review of shared ownership is important to you, please contact the Committee to let them know.
- Explain your own experience and why you believe a review of shared ownership is important, or necessary.
- Tell MPs if you think anything is missing from the Bill, including whether anything is missing from the proposal for a review of shared ownership. For example, buyback or Older Persons’ Shared Ownership (OPSO).
- You might want to mention Shared Ownership Resources’ report, Shared Ownership Insights: Buyback, which calls for a review and for a clear, fair and mandatory framework for buyback.
How do I tell MPs I support a review of shared ownership?
It’s important to submit your own written evidence as soon as possible. Email it to: scrutiny@parliament.uk.
The Public Bill Committee will meet for the first time on Tuesday 27 October 2026 to scrutinise the Social Housing Bill [HL] line by line. and it is expected to report by 5.00pm on Tuesday 3 November 2026. They say:
“When the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill, it is no longer able to receive written evidence. Anyone considering submitting written evidence is strongly advised to do so as soon as possible, as the Committee can conclude its considerations earlier than the expected deadline.”
Written evidence is published by the Committee. However, you can ask for your evidence to be anonymous — meaning the committee will publish your evidence, but not your name or details that could identify you.
The House of Commons publish guidance for giving written or oral evidence to a House of Commons select committee.There’s also an Easy Read version of the guidance.
Social Housing Bill [HL] – Shared ownership excerpt
PART 2 – SHARED OWNERSHIP
Review of shared ownership and staircasing
The Secretary of State must, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, conduct and publish a review of the operation and effectiveness of the shared ownership scheme in England.
The review must consider in particular—
(a) the affordability of shared ownership for leaseholders;
(b) the extent to which shared ownership provides a viable route to full home ownership;
(c) the operation of staircasing arrangements, including the costs, fees and valuation requirements associated with the purchase of additional shares;
(d) barriers faced by shared ownership leaseholders in staircasing to higher levels of ownership or to full ownership;
(e) the impact of service charges, repairs obligations and other housing costs on shared ownership leaseholders;
(f) whether legislative or regulatory changes are required to improve transparency, affordability and access to full ownership.
The Secretary of State must lay the review before Parliament together with a statement setting out any proposed actions in response to its findings.
Featured image: Freepik
Additional Resources
Shared Ownership Resources – Social Housing Bill: What do shared owners need to know?
UK Parliament – Social Housing Bill [HL] (details, stages, news and publications)
UK Parliament – Social Housing Bill [HL]: call for evidence
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