Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE): equality impact assessment

Background

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting home ownership by helping people become home owners where it is affordable and sustainable for them.

The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) is a Scottish Government shared equity scheme that helps eligible buyers on low to moderate incomes to purchase a home where this is sensible and sustainable for them to do so.

Under the scheme purchasers are required to contribute between 60% to 90% of the purchase price of a home, with the Scottish Government holding the remaining share of between 10% and 40% under a shared equity agreement. Applicants need to be able to show that they can't afford to buy a home that meets their needs without help from the scheme.

OMSE is designed to help first time buyers on low to moderate incomes and these priority access groups:

• people aged 60 and over
• social renters (people who rent from the council or a housing association)
• disabled people
• members of the armed forces
• veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years
• widows, widowers and other partners of service personnel for up to two years after their partner has lost their life while serving

Previous home owners will not be able to receive assistance unless they are in a priority access group.

OMSE provides an equity stake on properties for sale on the open market with price thresholds that are set by size, location, and urban/rural classification.

A Ministerial decision was taken to narrow the scope of groups eligible to apply for OMSE. For the 2025/26 financial year, OMSE is only available to the current priority access groups which removes the access to the scheme for general first time buyers.

The policy has changed from being open to all first time buyers and priority access groups to just the existing priority access groups.

OMSE helps people meet their aspirations for home ownership. Therefore, successful applicants are directly and positively affected by the scheme as it allows them to own a home in the area in which they wish to live and work.

OMSE is also aimed at applicants on low to medium incomes to purchase a low cost affordable home. The maximum values of these properties vary by location and size and are known by the term threshold. The thresholds are published on the Scottish Government website.

The policy affects affect people of all ages, sex and backgrounds, living or with the intention of living in Scotland in the future.