Selling Your Shared Ownership Home

Selling your shared ownership home (also known as a resale) is similar to selling on the open market, with a few additional steps depending on your lease.

At Platform, we’re here to guide you through the process, helping you understand your options and supporting you at key stages, while your chosen estate agent manages the marketing and sale of your home.

Advice for Selling a Shared Ownership Property

Before you start

Before putting your home on the market, you’ll need to contact us on resales@platformhg.com to let us know you’re planning to sell. This allows us to review your lease and make sure you have everything you need to move forward with confidence.

We’ll explain what you’re able to sell, whether that’s your current share, 100% of your home, or both. We’ll also highlight any specific conditions that may apply, such as local connection requirements or lease restrictions, and outline what information your estate agent will need once your property is live.

Choosing an estate agent

You are free to sell your home through an estate agent of your choice. Your agent will take the lead on marketing your property, arranging viewings, and managing offers through to sale progression.

If you don’t already have an agent, we can introduce you to 99home, one of the UK's fastest growing Online Hybrid Estate Agents, to assist you in finding a buyer for your share.

Details of the various selling packages and range of services 99home offer can be found on their website.

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Your selling options

Depending on your lease, you may have more than one way to sell your home. Some customers choose to sell their existing share to another shared ownership buyer, while others prefer to market and sell their property at full market value. In some cases, it may be possible to offer both options at the same time to give you greater flexibility in finding a buyer.

We’ll confirm what your lease allows so you can decide which approach works best for you.

Selling your share

If you own a share of your home, you can sell that share to another buyer through the shared ownership scheme. In this case, your property remains part of shared ownership, and the buyer will take on a shared ownership lease.

Your estate agent will market your home based on its full market value, with your share advertised accordingly. Once a buyer is found, we’ll need to confirm that they meet shared ownership requirements. This includes checking their eligibility and affordability to ensure the purchase is suitable and sustainable.

You’ll need to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in place before marketing your home. A RICS valuation is not always required when selling your existing share, although it may still be needed depending on your lease or if the sale involves a change in ownership level.

Throughout the process, we’ll provide the necessary landlord and leasehold information and work with your solicitor to support the sale through to completion.

Selling your home at 100%

Depending on your lease, you may be able to sell your home at full market value, even if you don’t yet own 100%. This is commonly done through a back-to-back staircasing and sale, where you increase your ownership to 100% at the same time as completing the transaction with your buyer.

Your estate agent will market the property at full market value, opening it up to a wider range of buyers. When a sale is agreed, your solicitor will handle both the staircasing and the sale so that they complete together.

In this case, a RICS valuation is required to confirm the full market value of your home. You’ll also need a valid EPC and legal representation to manage the process. Because there are two elements involved, legal costs can sometimes be slightly higher than a standard sale.

We’ll confirm that your lease allows a 100% sale, provide the necessary documentation, and support your solicitor through both the staircasing and sale process.

How to Sell a Shared Ownership Property

If you're considering selling a property, it's important to understand the process so you're ready to ask the right questions and know what to expect. 

Below, we'll explore some of the main steps of the process when you're considering selling a Shared Ownership property: 

1. Contact the Platform Resales Team

Before you market your home, you’ll need to let us know you’re planning to sell. You can email us at resales@platformhg.com.

We’ll review your lease and explain what you’re able to sell, whether that’s your current share, 100% of your home, or both. We’ll also highlight any restrictions or requirements that apply, such as local connection criteria or limits on staircasing.

At this stage, we’ll outline how the resale process works and let you know what information we’ll need from you and your estate agent as your sale progresses.

2. Instruct an estate agent

Once you understand your options, you can appoint an estate agent of your choice.

They will provide a market appraisal and work with you to agree a suitable marketing price for your home. They’ll also confirm whether your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is still valid, or if a new one is needed before marketing can begin.

Depending on your lease, you may be able to market your share, your property at 100%, or both at the same time.

If you don’t already have an agent, we can refer you to 99home.

3. Prepare your documents

Before your home goes on the market, you’ll need to make sure the right documents are in place.

You’ll need a valid EPC. If you already have one, it can be used as long as it is still in date. Your estate agent will need this before they can begin marketing your property.

A RICS valuation may also be required, depending on how you choose to sell. This is a requirement if you are selling at 100% or staircasing as part of the transaction. If you are selling your existing share only, a valuation may not be required unless your lease specifies otherwise.

4. Complete your Intention to Sell 

Once you’ve chosen your estate agent and agreed your marketing price, you’ll need to complete our Intention to Sell form.

You should also provide us with your estate agent’s details and the advertised sale price once your property goes live.

Keeping us updated at this stage helps us prepare the correct landlord information and supporting documentation, which can help avoid delays later in the process.

5. Market your home

Your estate agent will manage the marketing of your property, including creating the listing, arranging viewings and handling enquiries from potential buyers.

They will also support you with offers and negotiations as interest is received.

6. Accept an offer and begin buyer checks

Once you have a prospective purchaser, your estate agent will provide us with the buyer’s details so we can begin the next stage.

If the buyer is purchasing a share, we’ll carry out eligibility and affordability checks to ensure they meet the requirements of the shared ownership scheme, along with any local connection criteria. This may involve liaising with the buyer, Platform’s panel mortgage advisor, their broker or your estate agent to gather the necessary information.

If the buyer is purchasing the property at 100%, affordability checks will not usually be required, although local connection criteria may still apply.

7. Buyer approval and memorandum of sale

Once all the required information has been reviewed, we’ll confirm whether the buyer is approved.

Following approval, we’ll request a memorandum of sale from your chosen estate agent and instruct our solicitors so the legal process can begin.

8. Legal (conveyancing) process and completion