Our response to the Right to Shared Ownership announcement

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “Housing associations share the Government’s commitment to help more families into home ownership. Over the next five years, we will support record numbers into shared ownership working in partnership with local and national government.”

“We are concerned that these proposals could make it harder for housing associations to build new social rent homes. Our priority will be to ensure that any changes allow us to safeguard the country’s existing social rent homes but also to continue to build these homes for future generations.”

“With homelessness at the highest level in ten years - we need more than ever to protect our existing homes for social rent, and to build more of them.”

“Lenders to the social housing sector view and value shared ownership homes differently to social rent homes. This announcement could affect not just the sector’s existing loans, but also the amount the sector can borrow in the future to build new homes.”

“Any new Government policy must not undermine the ability of housing associations to raise the vital funds needed to build new social rent homes, particularly at this time of already considerable uncertainty.”

“Before the Government proceeds with these proposed changes, it is absolutely critical they take the time to understand how the sector’s lenders may react and how this may impact on our ability to build new social rent homes.”