With house prices continuing to rise, Graham thought that owning his own home might be out of reach. Today, he lives in a brand new shared ownership property in a leafy suburb on the outskirts of the city that he bought from Leeds Fed.

This year, we have seen great demand for our shared ownership properties with all being reserved before building work was complete. With shared ownership, people buy a share of the property (usually around 50% of its value) and pay rent to Leeds Fed for the rest. As a smaller mortgage is needed it makes it possible for people on lower incomes to buy a house. If they choose, owners can buy more of the property at a later date and increase their share.

We sold 13 new homes for shared ownership in 2014/15 and plan to sell 23 more next year. Shared ownership provides a helpful way for people take their first step towards buying their own home.