The report looks at the benefits of home ownership and reviews tenure choices. It considers approaches to making home ownership affordable and examines market opportunities.

It also sets out the steps taken to tackle a number of institutional, informational and regulatory barriers to the private provision of shared equity products.

Government policy is to increase the number of households who own their own homes. In the Budget of 2006 the establishment of the Shared Equity Task Force was announced to look at ways to increase homeownership through shared equity products.

An advisory panel was set up which included experienced practitioners and academics with representatives from the finance industry, house builders, the local authority and housing association sectors.

The shared equity products which have been or are currently in use were identified. The potential take-up of current or in-development commercial models was estimated, and the impact of increased use of shared equity on housing markets was modelled and assessed.

Home ownership has grown into the tenure of choice for the majority of households through a combination of social, economic and policy changes. However, there is an ‘intermediate market’ of households who are unable to enter the home ownership market.

Products are being developed by the Government to improve households’ immediate purchasing power so that they have a flexible route into home ownership. More than 80,000 households have been helped into home ownership since 1997.

The report identifies some potential barriers to greater provision of shared equity products by the market, for instance risk and uncertainty, taxation, competition and innovation.

HM Treasury
Phone: +44 20 7270 4558
Public.enquiries@hm-treasury.gov.uk

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01/12/2006

Shared Equity Task Force

research

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing policy

Privately owned housing