Quick answer
A shared ownership solicitor does the legal work when you buy a share of a home from a housing association, sell your share, or buy more of it (staircasing). Shared-ownership homes are sold on a lease, so we check the lease, the rent on the share you don't own and the housing association's conditions. Our fee for buying a share is our leasehold purchase fee and the standard purchase lines, plus "Dealing with Leasehold" (£150 + VAT) and "Shared Ownership" (£250 + VAT), plus disbursements. You get a written, itemised quote before you instruct us.
On this page
What we do for you
When you buy a share, we:
- Check the shared-ownership lease: the share you are buying, the rent on the rest, repairs, service charges and any limit on buying more shares
- Deal with the housing association, including its approval and the paperwork it needs from you
- Order the searches and raise questions about anything unclear
- Check your mortgage offer and report to your lender
- Explain both ways of paying Stamp Duty, from your lease and figures, before you choose
- Exchange contracts, send the money on completion day, then file the Stamp Duty return and register your lease at HM Land Registry
Buying for the first time? Our first-time buyer conveyancing page covers gifted deposits and Lifetime ISAs, which are often part of a shared-ownership purchase.
What it costs
| Our fees, buying a share |
£1,510 + VAT (£1,812 including VAT) on a home worth £500,000 or less, bought with a mortgage. This is our leasehold purchase fee and the standard purchase lines, plus "Dealing with Leasehold" (£150 + VAT) and "Shared Ownership" (£250 + VAT). On a dearer home, your written quote confirms the figure. Charged only if it applies, and shown in your quote: "Dealing with Building Safety Act" (£500 + VAT) for a flat in a building of five or more storeys or over 11 metres. |
|---|---|
| Third-party costs (disbursements) | Typically £319 to £341, for one or two people, including VAT where it applies, itemised in your quote |
| Selling your share | Our leasehold sale fee and the standard sale lines, plus "Dealing with Leasehold" (£150 + VAT) and "Shared Ownership" (£250 + VAT). "Dealing with Building Safety Act" (£500 + VAT) is added if the flat is in a building of five or more storeys or over 11 metres. Your written quote gives the exact figure. |
| Staircasing with a remortgage | "Staircasing": £250 + VAT, added to our remortgage fee |
| A new-build shared-ownership home | Priced on our new-build fee scale, with "New Build Property" (£250 + VAT) as well. See new build conveyancing. |
Not included: a survey, indemnity premiums, the housing association's or managing agent's own charges, or lender charges.
Your written quote gives the exact figure before you commit. How our charges work is set out on our fees page.
Set by the government, shown separately: Stamp Duty Land Tax and the HM Land Registry fee aren't part of our fees. We confirm the Land Registry fee in your quote.
Worked example: a 40% share of a £300,000 flat
One UK-resident first-time buyer in England buys a 40% share (£120,000) of a £300,000 leasehold flat, not a new build, with a mortgage.
| Legal Fees | £595 + VAT |
|---|---|
| Preparation of SDLT forms | £100 + VAT |
| Application for Registration | £100 + VAT |
| File Opening Fee (Non-refundable) | £100 + VAT |
| Telegraphic Transfer Fee (Per Transfer) | £40 + VAT |
| Mortgage Handling/Admin Fee | £150 + VAT |
| Lender Portal Management Fee | £25 + VAT |
| Dealing with Leasehold | £150 + VAT |
| Shared Ownership | £250 + VAT |
| Our fees | £1,510 + VAT (£1,812 including VAT) |
| Typical disbursements, one buyer | £319, including VAT where it applies |
| Our fees and disbursements | £2,131 including VAT |
Paid to the government on top, not part of our fees: on these figures no Stamp Duty is due either way. Paying on the full value now, first-time buyer relief applies (the full value is £500,000 or less), and no Stamp Duty is due because it is not more than £300,000. Paying in stages, the relief covers the £120,000 share price and the rent (HMRC manual SDLTM29885). The HM Land Registry fee is also payable. Our figures checked against the quote engine, 20 October 2026. This is an example for this purchase and is not tax advice: your written quote confirms the exact figure for yours.
Stamp Duty on shared ownership
When you buy a share in England, you choose how to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax:
- On the full market value, now (a "market value election"). You pay once, and no more Stamp Duty is due when you buy more shares.
- In stages. You pay on the price of the share you buy now. Buying more shares costs no more Stamp Duty until you own more than 80%; then a return is due on that purchase and any after it. Without first-time buyer relief, Stamp Duty can also be due on the rent if its net present value is over £125,000.
Our shared ownership stamp duty calculator takes the full market value and the share you are buying, and works out the tax.
First-time buyer relief can apply when the market value of the home stated in the lease is £500,000 or less (HMRC's manual). Which route costs less depends on the figures and on whether you plan to buy more shares, so we explain both routes from your lease and figures before you decide. HMRC's shared ownership guidance sets out the rules. Checked on GOV.UK, 20 October 2026. This is general information, not tax advice.
Selling your share
Selling a shared-ownership home has a few extra steps:
- The housing association usually gets the first chance to find a buyer. Your lease says for how long. After that, you can usually sell on the open market.
- The price is set by a valuation in most leases, rather than by what you would like to ask.
- The buyer may need the housing association's approval, and it may charge its own fee for its paperwork.
We deal with the housing association's consent and paperwork, answer the buyer's solicitor's questions and pay off your mortgage on completion. Our fee includes "Shared Ownership" (£250 + VAT) for that extra work.
Staircasing: buying more of your home
Staircasing means buying a further share from the housing association. It values the home, and the price of the new share is based on that valuation. Some leases limit how much you can buy, so we check yours first.
If you staircase with extra borrowing through a remortgage, our remortgage fee applies with "Staircasing" (£250 + VAT) added: see remortgage solicitors. If you are paying for the share without new borrowing, we confirm our fee in a written quote. If you paid Stamp Duty in stages, staircasing past 80% means a Stamp Duty return, and Stamp Duty may be due on that purchase.
How long it takes
Shared-ownership homes are sold on a lease, so a purchase typically takes 10 to 12 weeks from instruction to completion. Our fast-track service typically takes 8 to 10 weeks, for £500 + VAT paid on completion. If we miss the fast-track timescale, you do not pay the fast-track fee, unless the delay is outside our control, for example caused by the other side, the lender or the chain. Your file stays on fast-track.
Timing depends on the chain, the searches, your lender and how quickly the housing association gives its approvals. We tell you at the start what we need, and tell you if anything changes the timing.
If your purchase falls through, you pay our File Opening Fee (Non-refundable), £100 + VAT, and any disbursements we have already paid out on your behalf. The rest of what you have paid us is refunded, or carried over to your next property when you find one.
What clients say
Where we act
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Leicester office 3rd Floor, St George's House, 6 St George's Way, Leicester LE1 1QZ 0116 393 0334
Conveyancing in Leicester
Questions people ask
Do I need a solicitor for shared ownership?
Yes. Buying a share is a leasehold purchase, and your mortgage lender and the housing association both need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to deal with the lease, the money and the registration. Selling a share or buying more of your home needs the same legal work.
How much does a shared ownership solicitor cost?
Our fee for buying a share is our leasehold purchase fee and the standard purchase lines, plus "Dealing with Leasehold" (£150 + VAT) and "Shared Ownership" (£250 + VAT). On a home worth £500,000 or less, bought with a mortgage, that comes to £1,510 + VAT (£1,812 including VAT), plus disbursements. The worked example above shows each line, and our fees page explains how our charges work.
Is shared ownership conveyancing different from a normal purchase?
The steps are the same: checks, searches, exchange and completion. On top of that we check the shared-ownership lease, the rent you pay on the share you don't own, any limits on buying more shares, and the housing association's own conditions and approval. That extra work is the Shared Ownership line in your quote.
Can I buy a new-build shared-ownership home?
Yes, and many shared-ownership homes are new builds. Then the new-build fee scale applies, with "New Build Property" (£250 + VAT) as well as the Shared Ownership line. See new build conveyancing for those figures.
Do I pay Stamp Duty on shared ownership?
It depends on how you choose to pay and on the figures. You can pay once on the full market value, or pay on the share you buy now and more only once you own over 80%. First-time buyer relief can apply if the market value in the lease is £500,000 or less. HMRC explains both routes in its shared ownership guidance. This is general information, not tax advice.
What happens when I staircase to 100%?
You own the whole home and stop paying rent to the housing association. A house usually becomes freehold once the freehold is transferred to you. A flat stays leasehold, so service charges carry on. If you staircase with a remortgage, the Staircasing line (£250 + VAT) is added to the remortgage fee. See remortgage solicitors.
How long does a shared ownership purchase take?
Typically 10 to 12 weeks from instruction to completion, as shared-ownership homes are sold on a lease. Our fast-track service typically takes 8 to 10 weeks, for £500 + VAT paid on completion; if we miss that timescale, you do not pay the fast-track fee, unless the delay is outside our control, for example caused by the other side, the lender or the chain. Timing depends on the chain, the searches, your lender and the housing association.
What if my purchase falls through?
You pay our File Opening Fee (Non-refundable), £100 + VAT, and any disbursements we have already paid out on your behalf. The rest of what you have paid us is refunded, or carried over to your next property when you find one.
Helpful guides
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