Picture a young couple, Jess and Sam. They have spent years diligently saving for a deposit, only to watch house prices skyrocket, far outpacing their wages. Enter shared ownership: the government's much-touted “affordable” solution. Buy a 25% stake in a flat, pay rent on the rest, and supposedly climb the property ladder step by step. It sounds reasonable—until the trap snaps shut. Shared ownership is marketed as a lifeline for a generation locked out of home ownership. However, peel back the glossy brochures, and you'll uncover a scheme riddled with exploitation , designed not to empower tenants but to enrich developers. This isn’t housing policy—it’s wealth extraction, disguised as social benevolence. The Illusion of Affordability Proponents claim shared ownership bridges the gap between renting and owning. The reality? A financial quagmire. Buyers face a triple burden: exorbitant service charges, unpredictable rent hikes (often tied to inflation), and the Sisyphean task ...