It’s fair to say that—other than the new model lease introduced in May 2021—shared ownership hasn’t shifted much in the last decade. The world around it, though? That’s a different story.
The pandemic pushed house prices up almost overnight and cranked up the cost of living. Inflation hit double digits (with global shocks like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine adding fuel to the fire). First-time buyers were squeezed: saving for a deposit became near impossible, and affordability slipped further out of reach.
It wasn’t just buyers under pressure. Housing associations faced their own challenges. Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 and the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020 due to damp and mold, the Regulator of Social Housing stepped in to actively enforce Consumer Standards. The goal: ensure homes are safe, habitable and that residents’ voices are heard.
This shift in regulation meant housing associations had to refocus. Instead of delivering new affordable homes, they were (and still are!) repairing existing ones—removing flammable cladding, tackling damp and mold, and managing rising repair bills. Higher interest rates made affordable funding harder to secure, with many associations losing their V1 grading. Even those holding onto it began looking for ways to raise cash, including selling off stock portfolios.
Meanwhile, shared ownership itself came under scrutiny. In March 2024, a group of MPs in Parliament (the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee) published the findings of their enquiry and concluded that the tenure needs reform. They highlighted concerns about affordability, rising rents, uncapped service charges, and complex leases. The committee also admitted that data gaps made it difficult to fully assess how effective the tenure really is.
So, what does this change mean for us?
We’re likely to see more mergers and acquisitions in the short to medium term. Providers in need of cash may sell off portfolios, while regulatory changes could push weaker organisations to merge with stronger ones.
At the same time, for-profit providers like Sage, Heylo and Legal & General have grown significantly over the last decade—and are expected to keep growing. Their presence brings much needed diversity to the sector and more choice for customers.
For first-time buyers, affordability challenges remain. The Labour government looks set to prioritise supply-side reforms before tackling demand-side issues. There’s no sign of Help to Buy returning soon—or of stamp duty holidays or other financial boosts. While First Homes and Discount to Open Market schemes exist, they’re limited in scale. Shared ownership remains the main viable option.
That said, with the DLUHC enquiry calling the tenure’s reputation into question, it’s understandable that some buyers feel hesitant.
What should we, as marketers in property and shared ownership marketing, do about all this change?
The first step is treating this like any marketing challenge: think strategically. Assess today’s competitors, anticipate how they might evolve, and plan how your brand can cut through.
Then, update your understanding of the customer. Move beyond clichés. Forget stereotypes like “first-time buyers in their 40s who eat too many avocados.” Instead, dig deeper:
- When did they stop engaging with the market?
- How did events like Brexit, Covid or the cost-of-living crisis affect their decision-making?
- What do they actually know about shared ownership?
You can uncover answers through surveys, focus groups or both. The key is cadence: engage consistently, track sentiment over time, and create segments that allow for meaningful marketing campaigns.
So, how should marketers respond?
By treating this like any other marketing challenge. Be strategic.
Get your head around the shifting property marketing landscape
Start with the market. Assess your competitors today, anticipate how they could evolve tomorrow, and plan how your brand can cut through the noise. Keep an eye on wider housing trends too — government schemes, mortgage rates, and developer activity all influence buyer perceptions. The clearer your view of the market, the sharper your strategy.
Move beyond clichés about first-time buyers
Next, think about your audience. Forget the clichés — “first-time buyers are now over 40, don’t like living with mum and dad, and eat way too many avocados to ever buy a home.” What matters is real insight.
Where in the last decade did they disengage from buying? How did Brexit, Covid or the cost-of-living crisis affect their choices? What do they actually know about shared ownership? Surveys (quantitative) or focus groups (qualitative) can provide answers. The goal is to track sentiment, segment audiences in meaningful ways, and use that data to shape more effective campaigns.
Reposition shared ownership marketing with confidence
Once you understand your market and your audience, you can position your brand in a way that truly connects. Lifestyle-led messaging has dominated shared ownership campaigns in recent years, but financial clarity matters more now.
Deposit messaging is key — always explain that a 5% or 10% deposit is based on the value of the share, not the full property price. And back up your story with evidence. Leeds Building Society’s 2025 report Taking the Longer View found that after 10 years, shared owners are on average £29,000 better off than private renters — rising to £42,000 in London.
Of course, this needs disclaimers: values can go down as well as up. But proof points like these build trust. And while shared ownership is often framed as a stepping stone to full ownership, it’s just as valuable to present it as a step up from renting. Some stake in a home is always better than none.
Move from a linear funnel to a more fluid property marketing model
Time to think about the best channels for your new messaging. The four Ps will naturally lead when it comes to response and plot-specific activity (paid search, paid social, programmatic, and property portals). But when we’re talking upper-funnel awareness, what else is out there?
This is where it pays to move from the traditional RACE funnel to something more fluid. Google’s Messy Middle is a perfect fit for the property journey. Why? Because buyers don’t just drop into Zoopla at one end and pop out the other as a completed sale. The process is non-linear, filled with constant research, shortlists, longlists, and plenty of cognitive biases influencing decisions along the way.
To make the shortlist — and win that enquiry — you need to keep making the case. Not once, but repeatedly. Both at the brand level and the property level. Reviews, incentives, availability, and authority cues all play their part in nudging buyers toward action.
When it comes to reporting — don’t be a hot mess
Reporting should simplify, not overwhelm. Pin everything down into one suite that unifies your key data sources. Typically, that’ll mean CRM data (contacts, leads, interactions, reservations), Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, and Meta Business Manager.
At Space & Time, we’ve built Ignition to do exactly this. It brings sales and marketing data together in a single dashboard — and even lets you layer in additional datasets, like second-hand property values.
And when you visualise that data, think about showing your funnel in motion. Leads are king, yes, but a longer view of the customer journey will help you shape smarter strategies in the future.
Think beyond acquisition — think retention
Shared ownership has often mirrored the new homes sector, both online and offline — and that’s no bad thing. But here’s the difference: a housebuilder’s relationship with the customer usually fades after snagging visits and ends once the typical two-year guarantee is up.
Shared ownership is different. Providers enter a 999-year relationship with their customers. As long as the resident doesn’t own 100% of their home, the provider has an ongoing responsibility — making sure homes are safe, habitable, and that customers know their rights and responsibilities.
That means the marketer’s job doesn’t end at completion. Customer data from the prospect stage needs to flow into the permanent record — including communication preferences and accessibility needs. Done right, it saves time and ensures a smoother, more human customer experience for the long haul.
Summary
Over the last decade, shared ownership has gone through massive change.
For marketers in this space, that means two things: keeping a sharper eye on competitors and resetting our view of who today’s first-time buyer really is. With that knowledge, it’s time to build new strategies — ones that use direct, confident messaging and map media activity to fluid funnels, not the old linear RACE model.
Reporting should be simple, not scattered. If you’re juggling multiple dashboards, you’re either wasting time or missing out on meaningful insights. A single, unified view of your data is now a must.
And remember: the job doesn’t end with acquisition. Post-completion, the customer journey matters just as much. Make sure pre-completion data flows into the shared owner’s permanent record — including accessibility needs and communication preferences. It saves time and delivers a far better experience.
Need more assistance with your shared ownership marketing?
Space & Time Media is one of the UK’s leading independent growth marketing agencies. We work with some of the country’s biggest housebuilder brands and have the expertise to help your organisation grow in both its sales and in brand impact.
Want to know more? Contact us at [email protected].
