Waiting on the housing association, again
A shared ownership resale is agreed. The case handler writes to the housing association to start their process. The association needs a valuation, a nomination period, an affordability assessment of the buyer by their approved adviser, and their consent to the sale. Each step has its own form and its own contact. The replies trickle in, and the case handler loses track of which are done.
Staircasing files are similar, with their own valuation and deadlines, and the valuation can expire before everything else is ready.
Why shared ownership files are slow
Every housing association runs its own process, and they differ in the forms, the order of steps and the contacts. A case handler may handle files for many different associations and has to remember each one's requirements.
Steps also depend on each other: the buyer's affordability approval may be needed before the association issues its consent, and a valuation may have a limited life. If one is late, others can expire.
| Shared ownership step | What tends to go wrong |
|---|---|
| Valuation for resale or staircasing | Expires before the file is ready |
| Nomination period | Not started promptly |
| Buyer's affordability approval | Buyer not told what is needed |
| Landlord's consent or approval | Requested late, chased from memory |
| Post-completion notices and fees | Landlord's requirements missed |
What the stalls cost
Shared ownership transactions already involve more parties than a standard sale, and delays at each step add up. Buyers who meet the eligibility criteria can lose patience or their mortgage offer. Valuations that expire have to be redone. Case handlers spend a lot of time chasing associations and explaining to clients why nothing is happening.
Associations notice, too, which firms send complete, timely requests.
Staircasing buyers feel the cost directly. They have usually arranged their own finance for the extra share and are watching a valuation date approach, often without understanding why the file is waiting on a third party. Each call they make to the firm asking about it is a call the case handler cannot really answer without chasing the association first.
How we build shared ownership tracking
- Association profiles: for each housing association you deal with, the tool stores their contacts, forms and usual steps for resales, purchases and staircasing, maintained by your team.
- Step list per file: when a shared ownership file is opened, the steps for that association and transaction type are set out on the file, with the forms ready to send.
- Early requests: requests to the association and information for the buyer (for example, about the affordability assessment) are prepared at the start, for the case handler to send.
- Dates and expiries: valuation expiry, nomination periods and any association deadlines are tracked, with warnings before they lapse.
- Chasing and responses: outstanding steps are chased on a schedule, and responses are filed against each step.
- Clear status: the client, the agent and the other side can be told what the file is waiting for, with your approval.
What shared ownership files look like afterwards
Each file shows exactly which association steps are done, which are outstanding, and which dates are approaching. Requests go out at the start. Valuations are watched against the file's likely timeline. Case handlers stop keeping each association's process in their head.
Clients understand why their transaction has extra steps and where it has got to.
Do these fit your shared ownership work?
- Housing association steps are tracked by email.
- Valuations have expired before files were ready.
- Each association's process is kept in case handlers' heads.
- Buyers are unsure what they need to do for the association.
- Staircasing files regularly miss deadlines.