“Buying with a parent isn’t a step backwards – it’s given us independence, security and somewhere we’re proud to call home.” Mother and daughter step onto the property ladder together with Shared Ownership in North London
How Shared Ownership Helped Vili and Elena Buy Their First Home
For nurse Vili (53) and her daughter Elena (21), buying a home together wasn’t always part of the plan. But after years of renting a one-bedroom flat in Haringey, rising rents and changing circumstances made them realise they needed a different solution.
Now, the mother and daughter have purchased a 25% share of a two-bedroom Shared Ownership apartment at L&Q at Alexandra Gate in North London, giving them the space, security and fresh start they’d been hoping for.
“We’d been renting the same one-bedroom flat for 15 years,” Vili explains. “It was home for a long time, but as Elena got older, it became too small. When the rent was due to increase again, we sat down and looked at our finances. We realised we actually couldn’t afford to rent a two-bedroom home, but through Shared Ownership, we could afford to buy one.”
As a single parent, Vili says buying alone had always felt out of reach: “I’d spent years bringing Elena up on one income,” she says. “I wasn’t able to work full time for a long time, and we were living pay cheque to pay cheque. Homeownership just didn’t feel possible for someone in my position.”
Elena, who now works in accounting in central London, recently started working full time, giving the pair the opportunity to revisit the idea of buying.
“We both agreed that if we were going to do this, it had to work for both of us,” Elena says. “We’re two generations with different lifestyles, so finding somewhere we were both excited about was really important.”
The pair began researching affordable homeownership in early 2025, discovering Homes for Londoners and Share to Buy before eventually finding L&Q’s Shared Ownership homes at L&Q at Alexandra Gate.
Located on the former Clarendon Gas Works site, Alexandra Gate has been designed with community at its heart. Alongside the final remaining two-bedroom apartments, the development features landscaped public spaces, shops, cafés and community facilities, with excellent transport links into
The location immediately appealed to both of them: “It was close enough for Elena to commute easily into central London, but it also had everything I was looking for,” Vili says. “There’s so much
greenery, it feels really secure, and it doesn’t just feel like a block of flats in the middle of nowhere. It already feels like a real neighbourhood.”
“We viewed a few apartments, but when we walked into this one, something just clicked,” Elena recalls. “You just get a feeling sometimes.”
Vili agrees. “We could both picture ourselves living there. We looked out of the kitchen window and saw the water feature, there are beautiful gardens for residents, and everything just felt calm.”
The pair were particularly drawn to buying a new build: “We wanted somewhere we could move straight into,” Elena explains. “Everything was new, all the finishes were done, and knowing there was aftercare if we needed anything was really reassuring.”
Vili adds: “There’s something really special about walking into a home where nobody has lived before. It feels like a completely fresh start.”
Adjusting from sharing one bedroom to having space of their own has transformed everyday life.
“It’s happened surprisingly quickly,” Elena says. “Having our own bedrooms has made such a difference, but we still spend lots of time together. It’s given us the best of both worlds.”
Now, that uncertainty has been replaced with optimism: “I finally feel like we can put down roots. It’s such a relief knowing this is our home.”
Looking back, both mother and daughter say buying together made something they once thought impossible become achievable.
“I couldn’t have done this on my own,” Vili admits. “But equally, Elena probably wouldn’t have been looking to buy at 21 by herself either. By doing it together, we’ve both been able to step onto the property ladder much sooner than we otherwise could have.”
For Vili, the greatest change is the security homeownership has brought: “When you’re renting, you’re always worried,” she explains. “Your landlord can ask you to leave, rents keep going up, and there are so many people competing for every property. I genuinely worried about what would happen if we had to move. I was scared we’d struggle to find somewhere else.”
Elena agrees. “People often think buying with a parent means you’ve somehow gone backwards, but for us it was the complete opposite. It’s given us independence, security and somewhere we’re both proud to call home.”
As they settle into life at Alexandra Gate, they’re excited to become part of the growing community: “It already feels like somewhere that’s going to keep getting better,” Elena says. “New cafés and shops are opening, there’s lots of green space, and we’re building our future here together. It’s all really exciting.”