Co-Ownership – Northern Ireland’s shared ownership provider – has released its 2025/26 performance report outlining that it has supported 961 into home ownership in a single year. The figure represents an 8 per cent rise in customer completions on the year before, and a £161 million boost to the local property market. It highlights that shared ownership is a necessary route to home ownership in Northern Ireland, particularly as the cost of living continues to impact on affordability, yet property prices continue to rise.
Whilst 961 households became new customers in 2025/26, 770 co-owners chose to buy their homes in full during the same period, no longer needing Co-Ownership’s help, proving the effectiveness of the organisation’s shared ownership model.
Chief Executive, Mark Graham explained, “This year’s data is particularly illuminating in terms of the continuing importance of our role in Northern Ireland. Not only are we responsible for approximately nine per cent of all first-time buyer transactions in an average year, but a sizeable proportion of our co-owners go on to successfully buy out our share, fully owning their home.
“Shared ownership works in Northern Ireland. What differentiates our regional model most sharply from shared ownership schemes elsewhere is its simplicity. In England for instance, shared ownership is delivered through multiple housing associations, tied to specific developments, with a more fragmented regulatory and funding framework. By contrast, Northern Ireland’s single-provider model creates consistency across property criteria, eligibility, and customer experience. In addition, whilst property prices are rising here, and affordability has been squeezed with rising interest rates, homes remain relatively affordable by comparison to large cities in Great Britain.”
The mechanics of Co-Ownership’s model are straightforward. Buyers choose a property anywhere in Northern Ireland up to the value of £215,000. They then purchase a share of the property between 50 per cent and 90 per cent with a mortgage lender. Co-Ownership retains the remaining share. The buyer pays a reduced rent on the portion owned by Co-Ownership. This hybrid tenure – part ownership, part rental – lowers both the deposit requirement and the monthly costs, making home ownership viable for people otherwise unable to enter the market.
Since 1978, Co-Ownership has supported over 35,000 into home ownership. Glynis Hobson, Director of Customer Services at Co-Ownership explains that the type of buyer the organisation is helping is broadening.
She said, “90 per cent of those we help are first time buyers on modest incomes highlighting just how difficult it can be for people to meet the requirements of home ownership without our help. Demonstrating our importance further is the fact that around 45 per cent of customers come from the rental market. Our annual data continues to show that approximately 900 property sales per year simply would not occur without our presence in the market.”
The Department for Communities has positioned shared ownership as a crucial element in addressing housing need in Northern Ireland. A £153m funding injection was provided to Co-Ownership in 2025 to help 4,000 buyers over four years. The Programme for Government has set a target for Co-Ownership to deliver 1,900 shared ownership homes by the end of the current mandate in March 2027. Mark explains that Local Development Plans are unlocking opportunity.
He said, “Local Development Plans have become the key component in providing our customers access to affordable new build homes. Their purpose is to set out a framework for land use over the next 15 years in each of the eleven council areas. There are six published plans and each one details how residential developments should be delivered. Most significantly, the policies now require new residential developments over a certain size to provide affordable housing, in a concept known as mixed tenure. Private sale, social housing, and shared ownership homes exist together. Whilst this is still a developing concept, Co-Ownership remains committed to supporting solutions for people who otherwise would have inadequate housing options.”
