Family found their place to call home with the help of shared ownership.

Shared ownership is an affordable way to buy a home of your own. NCHA's customers have written about their experiences in a series of case studies, to explain what shared ownership has done for them.

Through the shared ownership scheme, Magdalena and Lukasz were able to buy a three-bedroom house at Knightthorpe Road in Loughborough. This home provided plenty of space for their children and is within walking distance of school. They explain what finding their dream home was like:

“We had been renting but desperate to become homeowners. It took us two years of house hunting as we struggled to find something affordable in the area.

“We had done a lot of research into the government schemes as we needed help to get us onto the property ladder. So when we came across this house on Rightmove which was available to buy with the help of shared ownership we felt that we were in a position to move fast.

“We instantly fell in love. We knew it was the house for us. We called the NCHA Sales office on a Thursday to find out what we needed to do. They guided us through the process and over the weekend we had a mortgage offer approved. By the following Thursday we had signed and sealed the deal for this house. It was unbelievably quick but it felt so right.

“The house was still being built so we had signed off-plan. We used to drive past every day on the way to school hoping the builders would hurry up! On completion, we collected the keys and then organised for the flooring to be fitted before we moved the family in.

“Everyone on the new development has moved in now and the neighbours are lovely. The children next door go to the same school, so we are already making friends. Our dream was also to own a dog and a cat, which we were not permitted to do in our rented house. Lisa our French bulldog joined our family in the first month of being in the house and we are so happy.

“We were able to purchase 50% of the house so pay rent on the other 50%. Once our two year fixed mortgage ends we are planning to staircase and purchase the rest of the property. This feels like our dream come true.

“The whole experience has been so easy for us and we would recommend shared ownership to others. We have a brand new house in the location we want to live, and a place to call home.”