Shared ownership investment
Shared ownership provides an affordable route to homeownership for middle and lower-income households through a part-buy, part-rent model with subsidised rents and low deposit requirements.
For many people, shared ownership can provide a stepping-stone out of renting and onto the property ladder. There are c.240,000 shared ownership homes across England and around 20,000 new shared ownership homes are delivered annually, making it one of the fastest growing housing tenures. Despite volatility in both the economic and political environment the need for high-quality affordable housing continues to increase.
Government subsidies are available for new shared ownership homes through our wholly owned Registered Providers, which are registered as for-profit providers of social housing.
Why invest?
Our aim is to deliver affordable, high-quality, safe homes, with great customer service and long-term stability of tenure for residents.
We are focused on accelerating the development of socially and economically beneficial affordable housing in the UK. We are a long-term investment partner that works with housing developers to help meet this demand.
Registered Providers
Our Registered Providers of social housing, ReSI Housing Ltd and ReSI Homes Ltd, are focused on shared ownership housing
EPC Ambition
We will target delivering new homes to EPC A where possible, with a minimum of EPC B
Service Charge Integrity
We ensure that service charges are reasonable and are being used as intended to maintain the quality of the properties
Ground Rent-free
We will not charge shared owners ground rents on new homes that we develop
Day One Flexibility
We provide shared owners with the option to sell their home on the open market from day one if they wish
Partnership with Thriving Investments
Gresham House and Thriving Investments (“TI”), the UK housing-focused fund manager within the Places for People Group, have launched a partnership for the delivery of shared ownership and affordable homes.
The partnership creates a leading shared ownership fund management platform, providing a dedicated solution for investors seeking exposure to shared ownership and affordable home investment.
Partnership Highlights
Strength and depth of a larger combined investment team
Access to extensive PfP proprietary pipeline
Enhanced ability to offer local solutions to LPs
Social and environmental impact
Affordability
The part buy-part rent model reduces deposit and income requirements. Shared ownership makes homeownership accessible to an additional 8.2mn people each year who would otherwise be unable to get a foot on the property ladder.
Security of tenure
It allows residents to invest and work towards full ownership without overstretching themselves. Shared owners can also purchase an increased share in their property (known as ‘staircasing’), meaning they save on rent and can own more of their home over time.
Environmental
We deliver homes that are highly energy efficient, both reducing carbon emissions and reducing resident energy bills.
Gresham House’s unique proprietary shared ownership Customer and Environmental Charters support residents and helps to deliver a social impact.
How does shared ownership work?
The shared owner:
- Purchases an equity stake in their new home at open market value. This is known as the “first tranche sale” and is a minimum of 10% and up to 75% of the value of the property
- Pays a subsidised rent c.30% below market rent on the remaining part of the home, which increases annually at CPI+1%
- Typically finances their initial stake with a 90% mortgage
- Is responsible for maintenance, repair and insurance, creating strong alignment of interest
- Has the option to incrementally purchase additional shares in their home at the prevailing open market value (known as “staircasing”)
Our Registered Providers
Gresham House manages two Registered Providers investing in shared ownership.
Team
Board
Baerbel Schuett
Non-Executive Director
Baerbel Schuett
Non-Executive Director
Baerbel brings over 30 years of experience across architecture, construction, and development management, with deep expertise in residential delivery and environmental sustainability.
She serves as a Non-Executive Director at East End Homes, a London based housing association, and sits on its Finance & Investment Committee.
Baerbel previously held executive roles as Development & Board Director at Wates Residential and, before that, at Londonewcastle, where she spent 13 years shaping and delivering high-quality residential schemes. Across these roles, she led significant growth through challenging market cycles and built a reputation for navigating complexity with clarity and focus.
She brings deep expertise in joint ventures and partnerships, having served on and advised multiple boards. Her strength lies not just in structuring deals, but in aligning people, strategy, and delivery to make them succeed.
Originally trained as an architect, Baerbel’s career has evolved from design into construction, project leadership, and ultimately strategic development—giving her a rare, end-to-end perspective on the built environment.
She is also the founder of be.haus, a consultancy offering independent, strategic advice to developers and partners seeking clarity, confidence, and results.
Ben Fry
Affordable Housing Fund Director
Ben Fry
Affordable Housing Fund Director
Ben joined Thriving Investments in November 2024 to lead and grow our affordable housing strategies including the existing shared ownership fund Gresham House Thriving Investments Residential Secure Income LP which he launched in 2021, whilst at Gresham House. Ben has been investing in affordable housing since launching Residential Secure Income plc in 2017, prior to which he led TradeRisks’ debt advisory services for housing associations, local authorities, and specialist residential accommodation. Ben has 19 years of experience in housing, local government and infrastructure and qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from Imperial College London.
David Orr, CBE
Non-Executive Chairman
David Orr, CBE
Non-Executive Chairman
David is an experienced leader in both executive and non-executive roles. He has over 30 years’ experience in Chief Executive roles, most recently at the National Housing Federation. He is Chair of Clarion Housing Association, is a previous President of Housing Europe and previous Chair of Reall, an international development housing charity. He is also chair of The Good Home Inquiry, co-chair of #Housing 2030, a joint project for Housing Europe and UNECE, and a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Housing, Church and Community Commission. David frequently speaks on the challenge of optimistic leadership and the critical importance of governance. He has wide ranging media experience, is a well-regarded commentator and blogger and has extensive expertise navigating the world of politics and government. In June 2018 David was awarded a CBE.
Graham Woolfman
Non-Executive Director
Graham Woolfman
Non-Executive Director
Graham brings a wealth of financial and governance experience to Resi Homes, with a particular focus on the social and affordable housing sector.
Graham joined the Board of Catalyst Housing in September 2017 and became a Board member and Chair of the Group Audit and Risk Committee at Peabody Trust when Catalyst merged with the Peabody Group in April 2022. Peabody is a substantial provider of residential property, development, and community management operations within the social housing sector.
From 2021 to 2025 he was Board Chair of St Arthur Homes Limited ,a for profit, registered provider (FPRP) acquiring, and managing, shared ownership housing, backed by private equity.
Graham has a professional background as a Chartered Accountant with substantial experience in working with companies focussed on growth across a range of sectors, including energy, technology, consumer, and financial services.
Mark Rogers
Executive Director, ReSI Housing & ReSI Homes
Mark Rogers
Executive Director, ReSI Housing & ReSI Homes
Mark is the Executive Director of ReSI Housing and ReSI Homes.
He joined Gresham House in March 2020 following the acquisition of TradeRisks. Before joining ReSI Housing, Mark spent 12 years as a Chief Executive of Circle Housing Group, a 65,000-unit housing association, before merging it into the Clarion Group, the largest housing association in the UK. Prior to that, Mark held Chief Executive roles at Anglia Housing Group and Nene Housing Society.
He has 38 years’ social housing experience and has been a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing since 1986.
Insights
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