YouOwn

What YouOwn does

YouOwn Housing Limited is a New Zealand privately-funded shared ownership provider established in 2017 (firmographic record: 2016) and headquartered at Level 3, 30 Customs Street East, Britomart, Auckland. The company operates a single product, the YouOwn Co-Ownership programme, which enables first home buyers to purchase residential property with as little as a 5% deposit by contributing up to 15% of the purchase price as a co-owner, after which the buyer secures an 80% home loan from a partner bank. YouOwn charges a 5.95% per annum equity charge on its retained share and a NZ$1,100 entry fee at settlement, and the buyer typically aims to buy out YouOwn's share within five years at independently assessed market value, with YouOwn sharing in capital growth on exit.

YouOwn is targeted at New Zealand residents (citizens, permanent residents, or resident visa holders) who can service mortgage repayments but cannot accumulate the 20% deposit typically required by banks, generally households earning NZ$110,000–NZ$150,000+ combined. The company has no proprietary technology platform and operates through a six-person team; its go-to-market combines direct online application (website enquiry and register-interest forms), curated financial-advisor referrals, and partner-bank relationships with SBS Bank, BNZ, and Credit Union Baywide.

YouOwn is funded as an impact investment fund rather than through traditional venture or growth equity. Capital is sourced from New Zealand charities and community trusts (BayTrust, TECT, Trust Horizon) and from Bancorp Wealth Management Limited, a division of Bancorp New Zealand Limited, with cumulative deployed capital of NZ$9 million+ having helped over 200 households into home ownership since inception, including 32 households in the Bay of Plenty region by June 2024. The company is registered on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSP 761911) and is a member of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.

Name

YouOwn

Legal name

YouOwn Housing Limited

Website

https://youown.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

YouOwn is a New Zealand privately-funded shared ownership provider that enables first home buyers to purchase property with as little as a 5% deposit by contributing up to 15% as co-owner and earning a 5.95% annual equity charge on its share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shared Ownership / Co-ownership Housing

NAICS

Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & First-Time Buyer Brokerage (BPAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate / Property-Backed Marketplace Lending (Non-mortgage) (FSAKAHAG)

Keywords

• Shared ownership housing
• Co-ownership programme
• First home buyers
• Low deposit mortgage
• Affordable home ownership

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equity Charge on Co-owned Share: YouOwn charges customers an equity charge of 5.95% per annum on the amount YouOwn has invested in the property. This is a recurring monthly payment for the duration of the co-ownership arrangement until the customer buys out YouOwn's share (typically after 5 years). Additionally, YouOwn shares in the capital growth of the property when the customer buys them out.
2. Entry/Exit Fees: Customers pay a fee of $1,100 at the time of initial purchase. When customers eventually buy out YouOwn's share, they pay based on independently assessed market value at that time, which includes capital growth appreciation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

YouOwn is a privately-funded shared ownership (co-ownership) programme in New Zealand that helps first home buyers purchase a home with as little as a 5% deposit. YouOwn contributes up to 15% toward the deposit as a silent co-owner, the buyer obtains an 80% home loan from a partner bank (SBS Bank, Credit Union Baywide, or BNZ), and pays YouOwn a monthly equity charge of 5.95% per annum on YouOwn's share. The buyer typically aims to buy out YouOwn's share within five years to achieve full ownership. The programme is available nationwide for new or existing properties with no income cap.

Product overview

YouOwn offers a single co-ownership product — the YouOwn Shared Ownership programme — designed to help first home buyers in New Zealand purchase property with as little as a 5% deposit. YouOwn contributes up to 15% of the purchase price as co-owner, the buyer obtains an 80% home loan from a partner bank, and pays YouOwn a monthly equity charge of 5.95% on YouOwn's share. The buyer aims to buy out YouOwn's share within five years to achieve full homeownership. The programme covers both new and existing properties nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YouOwn Co-ownership / Shared Ownership Programme A low-deposit shared ownership programme enabling New Zealand first home buyers to purchase a home with as little as a 5% deposit. YouOwn contributes up to 15% of the deposit, the buyer secures an 80% home loan from a partner bank, and pays YouOwn a monthly equity charge of 5.95% on YouOwn's share. The buyer aims to buy out YouOwn's share within five years to achieve full ownership. Available nationwide for new or existing properties with no income cap.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and historical.

• Credit Union BaywidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2021Credit Union Baywide is the home lender for the Bay of Plenty co-ownership programme in partnership with YouOwn. It is a 100% NZ owned financial co-operative and not-for-profit, with 21 branches and strong online presence. Originally established in 1971, it has grown through mergers.
• Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)historicalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2019BNZ partnered with YouOwn to pilot the shared ownership option to home buyers in 2019. YouOwn and BNZ worked together to extend the number of New Zealanders the company could help. Current co-ownership arrangements show BNZ rates of 3.05% fixed for 80% home loan.
• SBS BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSBS Bank is YouOwn's partner bank providing home loans for co-ownership arrangements. The bank offers competitive interest rates for the 80% loan portion (qualifying for best available rates rather than higher 95% loan rates). SBS Bank is a mutual bank operating for over 150 years and is 100% committed to helping Kiwis get into homes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HomeStart Finance: South Australian government-backed shared equity provider offering low-deposit loans and equity-sharing for first home buyers; directly comparable co-ownership product aimed at closing the deposit gap for first-time buyers.
• Peabody: Major UK housing association offering shared ownership and affordable home ownership products; provides a comparable shared-equity pathway for first-time buyers in a mature shared-ownership market.
• Housing Foundation New Zealand: NZ affordable housing non-profit focused on shared ownership; YouOwn's Executive Director Brian Donnelly is its former Executive Director, and the two organisations have historically shared personnel and mission, making Housing Foundation a closely comparable peer.
• Sage Housing: UK shared ownership housing provider offering part-buy/part-rent products to first-time buyers; operates a co-ownership structure that closely mirrors YouOwn's model of helping buyers with deposit gaps enter homeownership.
• Orbit Homes: UK housing provider with a substantial shared ownership programme enabling buyers to purchase a share of a property; directly comparable business model of fractional ownership with staircasing to full ownership.
• Keystart: Western Australian government-backed shared equity scheme that helps first home buyers purchase with a low deposit by taking an equity stake; structurally very similar to YouOwn's co-ownership model and operates as a comparable first-time buyer shared-equity product.

Broad incumbents

• Bank of New Zealand (BNZ): Major NZ bank and YouOwn partner providing 80% home loans for co-ownership arrangements; broader incumbent in residential mortgage space with overlapping first home buyer customer base.
• Kiwibank: NZ state-owned bank offering low-deposit mortgages and first home buyer products; broader incumbent providing competing low-deposit solutions to the same first home buyer segment YouOwn targets.

Regional players

• Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust: NZ regional community housing trust (where YouOwn director Brian Donnelly previously served) offering shared equity and affordable home ownership in the Queenstown Lakes district; operates a comparable shared-ownership product within a specific NZ geography.

Others

• Community Housing Aotearoa: NZ umbrella body representing community housing providers; relevant ecosystem organisation as YouOwn's model overlaps with the community/affordable housing sector in New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8R2jwNtWqfxf2MWascIgug
• Facebookfacebook.com/youownnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youown

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YouOwn