Renting out your shared ownership property (subletting)

You can normally sublet a room in your shared ownership property, as long as you’re living in the property.

Check the rules for subletting your property

The “Key Information Document” or lease agreement for your property should contain rules about subletting all or part of your property.

If you own 100% of your property

If you own 100% of your shared ownership property, then you can sublet it. You may need permission from your housing provider but you will not have to show there are exceptional circumstances.

If you own less than 100% of your property

If you own less than 100% of your shared ownership property, you must get permission from your housing provider to sublet.

Your housing provider will usually give you permission to sublet if:

• you’re unable to sell it or live there because of fire safety or structural safety issues (such as cladding)
• you’re a member of the armed forces and are serving away from the area where you live for a fixed period

However, some housing providers may not allow you to sublet, even if you’re eligible.

You should have given your tenant the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 if the following apply:

• you are subletting your whole property
• your tenant moved in before 1 May 2026

If you sublet your shared ownership property, your housing provider will usually set the amount you can charge – this will be up to the full market rent.

However, your housing provider may allow you to charge more than market rent, to cover the full costs of the property. You may need to provide evidence of your costs.

On 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act banned landlords from re-letting a property for 12 months if they evict a tenant because they want to sell or move back into the property.

However, if you’re a shared owner, this rule does not apply to you if you:

1. Tell the person you’re planning to sublet to that you’re a shared owner and the 12 month letting ban does not apply to you – you must inform them in writing, before you agree to the tenancy.
   1. To do this, you can use Template notice 1 (ODT, 12.6 KB) on GOV.UK.
   2. If you began subletting the property before 1 May 2026, then you must have done this step before 31 May 2026. You can use Template notice 2 (ODT, 12.5 KB) on GOV.UK.
2. Tell your housing provider that you intend to sell the property – you must do this in writing, before the end of the notice period you’ve given the tenant.
3. Get a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) valuation to sell your home or advertise your property for sale – you must do this before you market your property to sublet, or sublet the property.

How to give your tenant notice 

If you need to sell, or move back into your shared ownership property, you will need to issue a section 8 notice and:

• you must give at least 4 months’ notice to your tenant
• you cannot evict the tenant any earlier than 12 months from the tenancy’s start date

This applies even if the tenancy started before 1 May 2026, when the re-letting ban came into effect.

For example, if your tenant’s start date was 1 January 2026 and you need to sell your property, you will not be able to evict them until 31 December 2026 at the earliest. But you can give them notice from the beginning of September 2026.

For more information, see The Renters’ Rights Act and Shared Ownership: Guidance for shared owners who are renting out their home (GOV.UK).

Your housing provider should give you at least 6 months’ notice that your permission to sublet is coming to an end. This applies to:

• permission that was given on or after 1 May 2026
• existing permission that will come to an end on or after 1 December 2026

If you need to go to court to repossess your property, contact your housing provider. Your housing provider should extend your permission until the process is complete.

If your tenant leaves and you want to get a new tenant, you should get permission from your housing provider.