There's a version of Shared Ownership designed specifically for older people: Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO). It works much like standard Shared Ownership but with one big difference around staircasing. Here's what to know.
OPSO is for people aged 55 and over who want to buy a share of a home suited to later-life living. You buy a share and pay rent on the rest, just like standard Shared Ownership.
With OPSO, the maximum share you can own is 75% — this keeps the homes available for other older people in future. The upside: once you own 75%, you don't pay any rent on the remaining 25% share.
That's different from standard Shared Ownership, where you can usually staircase all the way to 100% and stop paying rent only at 100%.
You can still buy more shares over time up to that 75% ceiling. As with standard Shared Ownership, if you bought on or after 1 April 2021 you may be able to buy 1% a year for the first 15 years, and usually larger steps of 10% or more at other times.
Rent on the landlord's share, service charges, and the standard Shared Ownership resale process (including the landlord's nomination period) all still apply — see the real cost of Shared Ownership and selling a Shared Ownership home. And as with any Shared Ownership home, it's worth checking whether it's in a Designated Protected Area, which can add further resale conditions — check an address here.
This is general guidance, not financial or legal advice.
Accurate as of June 2026.
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