Community Living Mortgage
Love being part of something bigger than just yourself? Our Community Living Mortgage is designed to help people purchase co-housing homes. Designed for individuals, and perfect for creating shared futures.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage
Trusted since 1981
Pioneers in providing mortgages that have a positive environmental and social impact
Experts in specialist mortgages
We’ve lent to over 4,500 unique properties and projects
Flexible decision making
We take a case-by-case approach to every project
Empowering local communities
We fund the development of community-led housing projects and support affordable housing
Open to the unusual
We’ll consider a wide range of non-standard construction types
At Ecology, we’ve funded the development of many community housing projects. So providing residential mortgages on these exciting developments was a natural next step.
Our Community Living Mortgage is designed to provide lending to individuals wishing to purchase a property that’s part of a co-housing model. We know the benefits these developments bring to people and to their local area, so please get in touch to find out how we can help you.
Co-housing is a form of community-led housing where residents live in private homes but share common facilities, such as kitchens, gardens, or meeting rooms. Co-housing communities are typically designed and managed by residents to encourage social interaction and mutual support.
- We’ll lend based on a full affordability assessment and at a maximum Loan to Value of 90% (repayment basis) and 75% (interest only).
- Applicants must be aged 18 years or over. The mortgage is only available to UK residents.
- A maximum mortgage term of 35 years is available (subject to eligibility).
- Mortgages are available on a repayment, interest only or part (repayment) and part (interest only) subject to eligibility.
- The property must have a minimum EPC rating of C or higher. If the property is a new build in development, please provide a copy of the predicted energy assessment.
- If the property was built in the last 10 years, the property must have an acceptable build warranty (subject to eligibility).
- The mortgage is available for non-standard construction types (for example, timber frame or clad) providing the property complies with the Society’s requirements.
- This product is available to all property located in the UK.
- Available for leasehold tenures (subject to criteria)
- The property must have an acceptable co-housing lease (subject to criteria)
- This product is not eligible for C-Change Discounts.
- Builder Gifted Deposits and Incentives are not accepted.
Community Living Mortgage
- No application fee
- Available for house purchases or re-mortgages (subject to eligibility)
- We support non-standard construction (e.g. timber frame)
Representative example
This is an illustration of a typical mortgage and its total cost. It looks at a mortgage of £225,000, paid over 30 years on a discounted variable rate of 5.34%. This mortgage would need one monthly payment of £2,045.88 and 359 monthly payments of £1,255.03 to pay off. The total amount paid would be £452,601.65. This includes the loan amount (£225,000), interest (£227,271.65), and a valuation fee (£330). This illustration assumes the cost of the property is £350,000.
The overall cost for comparison is 5.5% APRC representative.
APRC (Overall Percentage Rate of Change) shows you, as a percentage, the annual cost of a secured loan or mortgage. It brings together all charges (such as fees and other costs), calculated as if you kept your secured loan or mortgage for the full term without changing it.
- An early repayment charge is not applicable to this mortgage, and you are free to overpay or repay the mortgage in full at any point during the mortgage.
- A minimum interest rate of 3% applies to the product. This means the interest rate for this product will never fall below 3%.
- Read our tariff of charges for more information.
Our awards
NaCSBA Gold Partner - 2025
Mortgage calculator
Our mortgage calculator is for illustrative purposes only and is designed to give an indication of the amount that we may be able to lend. The actual amount that we may be able to lend will depend on a full assessment of affordability, the property value and the size of your deposit.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage
Community Living Mortgage FAQs
To speak to our friendly mortgage advisors, you’ll need to provide your financial details to obtain a decision in principle. When you’re ready to fully apply, you’ll need to have a specific property in mind. When you’re ready to apply for the mortgage, we’ll ask you for:
- Income & expenditure documents
- A copy of the energy performance certificate for the property
- A copy of the build warranty or building certificate
- A copy of your co-housing lease agreement
The property must have a minimum EPC rating of C or higher to be eligible for this product. If the property is a new build and not yet fully completed, please provide a copy of the predicted energy assessment.
An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating is a measurement of the energy efficiency of a building. It is typically required when selling or renting a property in many countries, including the UK. The rating is based on factors such as insulation, heating systems, and the overall energy use of the property.
The rating scale typically ranges from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient), with A being the best and G being the worst. A higher EPC rating indicates that the property is more energy-efficient, which can mean lower energy bills and a smaller environmental impact.
If the property was built in the last 10 years, the property must have an acceptable build warranty or a Professional Consultant’s Certificate, for any property constructed more than 10 years ago, this is not required.
You will need a minimum deposit for a purchase of 10% or for a remortgage a minimum of 10% of equity remaining in the property.
For a purchase you can borrow up to 90% of the purchase price or valuation (whichever is lower), for a remortgage we can cover any secured lending on the property or any works to be spent on improving the property.
The mortgage has no early repayment charge so has flexibility to make overpayment off the mortgage at any point.
Yes. Please bear in mind that we don’t offer mortgages for second homes, holiday homes or homes classed as mobile planning.
The mortgage is available for non-standard construction types (eg timber frame/clad) providing it complies with our ecological requirements, buildings insurance can be obtained, and the valuer confirms the condition and marketability of the property are satisfactory.
Get in touch
Simply fill in the form and one of our qualified mortgage advisers will be in touch to discuss your options
Our customer projects
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Customer project
Chapeltown Cohousing: Strength in Diversity
Project type: Community-led housing
“It might not be everyone’s idea of paradise, but we’re very fond of Chapeltown. This is where we belong and we want to see it flourishing.” That’s the word on the street at Chapeltown Cohousing (ChaCo) – a community-led housing project in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Formed in 2010 following some impassioned conversations between neighbours, ...
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Customer project
Open House Project: A Budding Community
Project type: Community-led housing
Space for parties, film shows and meals; a productive garden and orchard; mutual support for childcare and older age; and connection with family and friends. It was a desire to make room for the good things in life that ignited the idea behind the Open House Project – a self-supportive co-housing community based on the outskirts of ...
ReadSee all projects -
Customer project
Bath Street Collective: Breaking New-Build Norms
Project type: Community-led housing
Beyond its eye-catching appearance, 26 Bath Street might not strike you as unusual – a contemporary block of flats occupying a previously vacant plot in Edinburgh’s Portobello neighbourhood. But this is no ordinary building – both from an environmental and a social perspective, it’s a break from new-build norms. Bath Street Collective ...
ReadSee all projects
