The short answer to this question is, ‘yes’, you do indeed need a solicitor (or a similarly well-qualified legal expert) to carry out the conveyancing work relating to a shared ownership property transaction.
In fact, it is generally even more critical to hire a suitably experienced solicitor as your conveyancing advisor if you are taking part ownership of a property.
The reason being that shared ownership scenarios tend to be at least a little more complex and often substantially more complicated in nature as compared to more traditional property sale/purchase transactions.
Why is there scope for extra complexity?
Shared ownership arrangements create opportunities for first-time buyers, primarily, and often younger cohorts of UK residents to get onto the property ladder when they might otherwise have been unable to take that step for financial reasons.
The associated transactions are structured in line with official government ‘Shared Ownership’ schemes, with demand for those schemes usually greatest in parts of the UK where house prices are highest and where affordability issues are most prevalent.
As of early 2025, there were an estimated 320,000 shared ownership properties being managed across the UK, with each of them made available on a leasehold basis by housing associations, local councils or other organisations. The necessary involvement of those extra parties in shared ownership deals creates added complexity within the scope of the conveyancing efforts that enable them.
What it all means from a conveyancing perspective
The necessary involvement of extra parties makes shared ownership transactions more complex legally, which means—from a conveyancer’s perspective—there is more information checking required and more processes arising that need to be meticulously engaged with.
As a result, the conveyancing efforts demanded by a shared ownership transaction will generally take a little longer than with more traditional property purchases.
For solicitors enlisted to carry out conveyancing services relating to shared ownership deals, the goal is the same as ever, which is to meet the needs of clients and to protect their interests as much as possible.
However, from the perspective of someone aiming to acquire partial ownership of a property, it is perhaps even more important than it would otherwise be to find someone you can trust to carry out all the relevant processes on your behalf.
It could be crucial, as well, to hire someone with direct experience of working on shared ownership deals and someone who is completely familiar with all the specific complexities involved.
Specific requirements of conveyancers with shared ownership deals:
- Reviewing of lease agreements generated by a given transaction for hidden obligations that a buyer might not otherwise be aware of.
- Clarifying of the ‘staircasing’ structures that allow for a partial owner of a property to increase the scale of their ownership share over time.
- Assessments of service charges and other costs that can sometimes be obscured somewhat from people buying part-shares in properties.
Steps along the way
For lots of people right across the UK, shared ownership deals are the only route available to the housing ladder and they represent a valuable first step towards full home ownership.
According to government data, the average price of a shared ownership property in England increased from £164,600 to £313,100 between 2009 and 2024, which equates to around a 90 per cent value jump. During that same timeframe, the average value of properties in England across the entire housing market increased by a similar but slightly lower 83 per cent.
Getting proper protection
It is always important for anyone buying a property, whether for the first time or not, to protect themselves and their own interests legally with the help, guidance and support of conveyancing service providers, who will generally (though not always) be solicitors.
That need for legal protections is certainly there and perhaps even more urgently felt in the context of shared ownership transactions. With the proper legal support, however, there is every reason to feel hugely positive about entering a shared ownership arrangement.
Home Legal Direct connects people buying homes, whether partially or in full, with conveyancers well placed to do a great job on their behalf. You can use our website to get quotes in a matter of seconds from solicitors who specialise in shared ownership conveyancing.
Find out more about Shared Ownership Conveyancing here.