Shared Ownership Valuation in Brighton and Hove

A shared ownership valuation is a formal RICS Red Book appraisal of the full open-market value of your property. It is not a valuation of the share you own - it is a valuation of the entire home as if it were sold outright on the open market. The figure is then used to calculate the price of additional shares when staircasing, the resale price if you sell your equity back to your housing association, or the loan-to-value ratio for a remortgage.

Your housing association will specify that the valuation must be carried out by a RICS-registered valuer and must follow Red Book guidance. Generic automated valuations or estate agent appraisals are not accepted. Our reports meet every requirement set out by housing associations operating in Brighton and Hove, including Guinness Homes and Southern Housing.

The valuation is valid for three months. If your staircasing transaction does not complete within that window, you will need a fresh report. We recommend booking your valuation as soon as your housing association confirms it is required, rather than waiting until the last moment.

• Staircasing - buying additional shares from your housing association
• Resale - selling your share on the open market or back to the association
• Remortgage - switching lender or releasing equity from your shared ownership home
• Back-to-back staircasing - purchasing 100% ownership in a single transaction

Across the city, shared ownership developments are mostly concentrated in purpose-built apartment blocks and new-build estates on the outskirts. Our valuers have appraised properties in every significant scheme in the area.

Lyon Quarter in Hove (BN3 1RX), developed by Guinness Homes, offers one and two-bedroom apartments with shares available from 25% and deposits starting at £4,063. Grand Avenue, Hove, operated by Southern Housing, contains one and two-bedroom apartments. Coombe Farm in Saltdean (Hornbeam Grove) provides one to three-bedroom family homes with gardens and parking, with prices starting from £122,500 for a leasehold share. Edward Street Quarter in Brighton city centre offers shared ownership properties from £75,000.

Beyond these, Brighton and Hove has a substantial stock of older shared ownership properties - refurbished Victorian villas converted to flats on Preston Road, seafront apartment blocks, and period terraces in the inner suburbs. Valuations for older shared ownership stock require careful comparable analysis, as these properties sit in a different market segment from new-build schemes.

The local council has also approved over 200 new homes on green land adjoining the South Downs and Stanmer Estate, with Toads Hole Valley earmarked for up to 300 homes. Many of these units will be available as shared ownership, adding further to the city's supply over the coming years.

Our RICS-registered valuers carry out a physical inspection of the property, assessing its condition, layout, size, specification, and location before arriving at an opinion of open-market value. They then apply comparable evidence from recent sales in the surrounding area to justify the figure in the written report.

Valuing properties here presents specific challenges. The city has a diverse mix of property types - Regency terraces and Victorian villas in Hove, purpose-built new-build apartment blocks in Saltdean and the city centre, and converted period properties across the inner suburbs. Each requires a different comparables analysis. Our valuers have direct experience in each of these sub-markets and know which nearby sales are genuinely comparable and which should be discounted.

For flats - the most common shared ownership property type in the city - our valuers assess floor level, sea or park views, lift provision, service charge levels, and remaining lease length. All of these factors can materially affect value in Brighton and Hove, where a flat on the upper floors of a seafront block may command a 15-20% premium over an identical unit at ground level.

• Physical inspection of the property and all habitable rooms
• Review of comparable sales evidence within a defined search radius
• Assessment of lease terms, service charges, and ground rent
• Consideration of condition, age, and specification of the development
• Adjustment for floor level, aspect, and any sea or park views
• Written Red Book report accepted by all UK housing associations

If you want to sell your shared ownership home in Brighton and Hove, the first step is to notify your housing association. They have a period of nomination rights - typically eight weeks - during which they can find a buyer themselves. Before the nomination period begins, you will usually need to commission a RICS valuation to establish the asking price.

The resale price is set at the full open-market value established in the RICS report. The buyer then purchases your percentage share at the proportional value. For example, if our valuation finds your Brighton flat is worth £280,000 on the open market and you own 40%, you are selling a share worth £112,000.

The city recorded 2,857 property sales in the twelve months to December 2025. Despite the overall market showing a 1.6% price decline year on year, there remains active demand from first-time buyers, who paid an average of £346,000 in the same period. Shared ownership properties are particularly sought after in this market because they give first-time buyers access to the city without needing a deposit on the full purchase price.

We carry out resale valuations to the same standard as staircasing valuations. If your housing association nominates a buyer at the price in our report, you can proceed with confidence that the figure is properly justified by market evidence.

If your fixed-rate deal is coming to an end and you want to switch your shared ownership mortgage to a new lender, your prospective lender will require a formal valuation to confirm the property's value and assess loan-to-value. Many lenders will instruct their own panel valuer, but some accept a Red Book report commissioned by the borrower.

Remortgaging shared ownership properties in Brighton and Hove requires the lender to understand the lease structure and the rent payable to the housing association on the unsold share. Our reports include full details of the lease terms, the current ground rent and service charge position, and the open-market value - all information a lender's underwriters will require.

Shared ownership mortgage buyers across the city paid an average of £414,000 for homes bought with a mortgage in December 2025. For shared ownership buyers who staircased to 100% and are now remortgaging the full value, this figure provides a useful benchmark - though your individual property may differ materially depending on size, location, and condition.