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Thanks for this. I missed your input somehow.
I think I'd thought of most of these issues. The area we're looking at is sky-rocketing at the moment and every offer we (EDIT: the two of us rather than the four) make is being out bid by a colossal margin. I think when we eventually part ways we should be doing ok, not least because the repayments are tiny between the four of us so we'll be putting down the maximum overpayment and saving as much as we can.
Also, the cost of improvements will be split four ways (and both one half of the other couple and the father of the other half are architects).
Thoma
Pitfalls are as follows:
More limited range of lenders to lend against 4 applicants on a mortgage (but if they lend to 3, they should lend to 4, so this may already be sorted)
If you want to move and the others do not, then that's a bit complicated. You would need to sell your share to the others, or sell to a new person to go on the property and mortgage via a transfer of equity with everyone (including the mortgage lender's blessing)
Should you want to move later with all 4 of you, and rent out the existing then you can potentially remortgage the current property, raise equity (you would need to leave approx 25% equity, for a BTL lender's requirements) and purchase another.
It's possible you can raise more against the property as a second home if you are not renting the property out, in which case your income needs to be able to support both mortgages.
You would be subject to the new 3% second home additional stamp duty if you bought a new home and stayed owner of another, whether rented or not.
Having said all that, leaving with half a house is better than no house, and if the arrangement works for you, and you know the other owners well, it can allow you to live somewhere that you could otherwise not afford. Also if it is in an area of strong growth, and prices have increased substantially, then you would benefit from a proportion of this.
As the original idea was 3 people, are they wanting you to have a 1/3 share or 1/2 share? Often this is determined by the amounts of deposit that everyone puts down.