Staircasing Mortgages
Staircasing means buying more of your shared ownership home. Unless you are paying from savings, it needs extra mortgage borrowing, either from your current lender or by remortgaging to a new one. Each route has its own rules on valuation, loan to value and timing, and the right choice depends on where you are in your fixed rate.
- Further advance or remortgage: which suits your situation
- The 1% and 5% steps on new model leases
- Valuations, fees and the stamp duty point at 80%
- What changes when you reach 100%
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Tell Us How Much More You Want to Buy
Share your current share, the latest valuation if you have one, your mortgage balance, your lender and when your fixed rate ends. We will tell you whether a further advance or a remortgage works better, with advice built around your circumstances rather than headline rates.
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How staircasing works
You ask the housing provider to sell you a further share. The price is the percentage you are buying multiplied by the current market value, so if the home has gone up in value since you bought, each further share costs more. If values have fallen, it costs less.
Under the newer model lease, used on homes funded from April 2021, you can buy an extra 1 per cent a year for the first fifteen years, or buy in steps of at least 5 per cent at any time. The government's shared ownership guidance confirms both routes. Older leases typically require larger steps, often 10 or 25 per cent, so read your own lease for the minimum.
Every staircasing step except the 1 per cent route usually needs an independent RICS valuation, legal work and the provider's administration fee. On a small step those costs can take a large bite out of the benefit, which is why many shared owners save the larger step for when their fixed rate ends.
As your share rises, the rent falls in proportion, because you pay rent only on the part you do not own. The service charge usually stays the same, because shared owners normally pay the full service charge whatever their share. Our shared ownership guide covers rent reviews and the resale rules.
Time the larger step to your fixed rate ending. A remortgage at that point avoids early repayment charges and lets you move the whole loan to the best lender for the new, larger share.
At a Glance
Further advance or remortgage
Two routes fund a staircasing step. From published criteria, checked 11 October 2026.
| Route | How it works | Best when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Further advance from your current lender | Your lender lends the extra amount on top of the existing mortgage, often on a separate product. The original fixed rate stays in place | You are part-way through a fixed rate and do not want to pay an early repayment charge | The extra borrowing may be at a different rate, and it may not end on the same date as your main product |
| Remortgage to a new lender | The whole mortgage moves to a new lender for a larger amount, including the cost of the new share | Your fixed rate is ending, or your current lender will not lend for staircasing | Early repayment charges if you leave mid-term, plus the new lender's own criteria on share and lease |
| Savings | You pay for the new share in cash | You are buying the 1% annual step or a small share | Keep enough back for the valuation, legal and administration costs |
Published examples: Santander lends to remortgage to buy an additional or the final share up to 90% LTV. Nationwide allows additional borrowing to staircase. Family Building Society publishes remortgages with capital raising to staircase to 100%, up to 90% LTV on its joint borrower sole proprietor range and 80% on its standard range, in criteria last updated in March 2020.
Valuations, stamp duty and reaching 100%
Valuation. The provider will want an independent RICS valuation to set the price of the new share, and your lender will carry out its own valuation for mortgage purposes. They are separate reports for separate purposes, and the figures do not always agree.
Stamp duty. If you did not make a market value election when you bought, you usually pay no stamp duty on staircasing until your share goes above 80 per cent. At that point stamp duty becomes due on the step that takes you over, and first-time buyer relief no longer applies. Our stamp duty guide explains the choice made at purchase. Your solicitor should confirm the figure.
Capped staircasing. Some homes in protected rural areas can only be staircased to a set limit, commonly 80 per cent. Nationwide considers capped schemes. If your lease has a cap, the home will never be fully yours, and that affects resale and lender appetite.
Reaching 100 per cent. Rent stops. A house may have the freehold transferred to you; a flat stays leasehold, but the shared ownership restrictions fall away. From then on the property can be mortgaged like any other home, which widens the lender list for your next remortgage.
If you are planning to staircase, ask the provider for its current fee schedule and the valuation requirements before you instruct anyone. Fees vary widely between providers.
Where to go next
The pages most often read alongside this one.
Shared ownership with bad credit
Options if your credit has changed since you bought.
How we arrange a staircasing mortgage
The order of steps matters as much as the lender.
Review your position
Your share, mortgage balance, fixed rate end date, lease terms and the share you want to buy.
Compare the routes
A further advance from your lender against a full remortgage, on total cost.
Valuation and provider
We tell you which valuation the provider needs and line it up with the mortgage timetable.
Recommendation
A clear recommendation with costs, including fees and any stamp duty.
Offer and completion
We manage the application to offer and keep the provider and your solicitor updated.
Read more for shared owners
Related pages for growing your share.
Ready to buy more of your home?
Tell us your share, your mortgage and when your fixed rate ends. We will tell you the cheapest way to fund the next step.
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Staircasing Mortgages: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a staircasing mortgage?
It is the extra mortgage borrowing used to buy a further share of a shared ownership home. It can be a further advance from your current lender or a remortgage to a new lender for a larger amount.
How much does it cost to staircase?
The share costs its percentage of the current market value. On top of that you usually pay for an independent valuation, legal fees, the provider’s administration fee and any mortgage fees. Stamp duty may also be due if the step takes you above 80 per cent.
What is the minimum I can staircase?
On new model leases you can buy 1 per cent a year for the first fifteen years, or steps of at least 5 per cent. Older leases often set larger minimum steps, commonly 10 or 25 per cent. Your lease sets the rule for your home.
Should I get a further advance or remortgage?
A further advance usually suits you if you are part-way through a fixed rate with an early repayment charge. A remortgage usually suits you if your fixed rate is ending, because the whole loan can move to the best lender for the new share.
Will my lender lend more for staircasing?
Many will. Nationwide allows additional borrowing to staircase, and Santander lends to buy an additional or the final share up to 90 per cent LTV on remortgage. Each lender reassesses affordability on the larger loan.
Do I need a new valuation to staircase?
Usually yes. The provider needs an independent RICS valuation to price the share, and your lender will value the property for its own purposes. The 1 per cent annual route on new model leases works differently, so check with your provider.
Does my rent go down when I staircase?
Yes. You pay rent only on the share you do not own, so buying more reduces the rent in proportion. The service charge normally stays the same, because shared owners usually pay all of it whatever their share.
Do I pay stamp duty when I staircase?
If you paid stamp duty in stages when you bought, you normally pay nothing more until a step takes you above 80 per cent. If you made a market value election at purchase, nothing further is due. Your solicitor should confirm it.
Can I staircase to 100 per cent?
On most leases, yes. Some homes in protected rural areas are capped, often at 80 per cent. Once you own 100 per cent, rent stops and the home can be mortgaged like any other.
Can I staircase with bad credit?
It depends on the lender and what is on your file. A further advance from your existing lender may be easier than a new lender, because your payment history with them counts. We can look at both.
Written and reviewed by Osman Emin, CeMAP, mortgage and protection adviser · FCA register OCE01003 · Updated YOUR HOME OR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.