News
Do It For The Future | London Home Show April 2026
16th April, 2026
Summary
- The Shared Ownership Council (SOC) launched in February 2024 as a cross-industry body to improve the experience of shared ownership for current and future shared owners.
- The Media People (TMP) announced its involvement at the launch, to bring first-time buyers’ perspectives and its consumer data into the council’s work.
- The SOC’s main output is the Shared Ownership Code, a voluntary code of good practice. It was consulted on in 2024, piloted from December 2024 to March 2025 and published in 2025.
- Since 7 October 2025, the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) has operated the Code, having been appointed by the SOC.
If you work in shared ownership, as a housing provider, lender or adviser, this is our record of the Shared Ownership Council’s launch in February 2024. The short answer: the SOC set out to make shared ownership more consistent and transparent for the people who buy through it. Its Code is now in use.
What was the Shared Ownership Council set up to do?
The Shared Ownership Council was a cross-industry body set up to improve, and make more consistent, the experience of shared ownership for present and future shared owners and for the industry, as its own About page (archived February 2024) put it. It launched in February 2024, with the aim of creating a voluntary Code of Good Practice for the sector, according to launch coverage in Today’s Conveyancer.
How was The Media People involved?
TMP announced its involvement with the SOC when the council launched. As we described it then, our part was to make sure first-time buyers’ perspectives were heard. We brought our access to consumer data in the shared ownership market.
That data comes from our own research into first-time buyers and Shared Ownership customers, published in the Insight Hub, and from the audience analysis our data and analytics team runs for campaigns. It sits alongside our other Shared Ownership work, including Shared Ownership Week, which TMP has run with Share to Buy since at least 2018: see our record of Shared Ownership Week 2024.
At the launch, TMP’s founder, Steve Husband, said TMP felt “privileged to be involved in this council”. He added:
“We have shown long term commitment to the sector and our data work that we are doing is at the forefront of the decisions we are helping to make.”
Steve Husband, Founder, The Media People
What's changed since February 2024?
The SOC went on to turn its aim into a working Shared Ownership Code. The Code was shaped by a consumer survey of 1,707 current and prospective shared owners, nine regional focus groups and an industry working group. It sets consumer protection standards for how shared ownership homes are marketed, sold and managed.
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | Shared Ownership Council launches | Today’s Conveyancer, 12 February 2024 |
| June 2024 | Draft Shared Ownership Code released for consultation | SOC consultation report |
| December 2024 to March 2025 | Code piloted by housing providers | Shared Ownership Code, pilot version |
| June 2025 | Final Shared Ownership Code published | Shared Ownership Code 2025 |
| 7 October 2025 | New Homes Quality Board appointed to operate the Code | Shared Ownership Code website |
The current version is the Shared Ownership Code (October 2025), which takes in lessons from the pilot. The council itself was set up as a time-limited initiative and, with the Code handed to the NHQB, was due to formally conclude on 16 October 2025, according to Today’s Conveyancer. Its original website no longer loads, and the Code now has its own site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Shared Ownership Council?
The Shared Ownership Council (SOC) was a cross-industry body, launched in February 2024, to improve and bring consistency to the experience of shared ownership for shared owners and the industry. It was set up as a time-limited initiative and was due to formally conclude on 16 October 2025.
What is the Shared Ownership Code?
The Shared Ownership Code is a voluntary code of practice created by the Shared Ownership Council. It sets consumer protection standards for how shared ownership homes are marketed, sold and managed, and housing providers can apply to adopt it.
Who runs the Shared Ownership Code now?
Since 7 October 2025, the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) has operated the Shared Ownership Code, having been appointed by the Shared Ownership Council.
What does The Media People do in shared ownership?
The Media People plans and runs marketing for housing providers, has run Shared Ownership Week with Share to Buy since at least 2018, and publishes research into first-time buyers and Shared Ownership customers.
Marketing Shared Ownership homes? Talk to our property team.
