Shared ownership homes offer a low cost way to get on the home ownership ladder. At Batchelors we have a long history of acting for local authorities and Housing Association ('HA') clients as well as purchasers on shared ownership matters. Latterly, we are now acting for local authorities and HA clients on the Government's HomeBuy schemes.

Even though the shared ownership scheme started back in the 1980's we feel that there are still a lot of people in housing need who are ignorant of the potential opportunities available to them or who don't understand how such schemes work.

We would very much like to act for clients on their shared ownership or HomeBuy purchases (or sales) and would welcome a chance to discuss your needs with you so do contact us. Meanwhile, we have set out below some of the frequently asked questions we encounter with, we hope, some helpful replies and advice.

Shared ownership housing - three key things to know

• Shared-ownership makes home ownership more affordable because you can part buy and part rent your home
• HomeBuy is the Government's range of shared ownership housing schemes
• Shared Ownership and Homebuy schemes are managed locally by Housing Association 'Agents'.