The LIFT Open Market Shared Equity Scheme is back open. Here's what that means for you.

Good news for anyone struggling to get a foot on the property ladder in Scotland. The LIFT Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) has reopened, and for a lot of buyers this could be the difference between renting for another year and owning a home of their own.

If you haven't come across it before, OMSE is a Scottish Government scheme that helps eligible buyers purchase a home on the open market without needing to fund the full price themselves. The Government contributes between 10% and 40% of the property's value, and you take out a mortgage and deposit for the rest. There's no rent and no interest charged on the Government's share while you own the home. When you come to sell, the same percentage of the sale price goes back to the Government.

For many buyers, that gap between what they can afford and what they need to buy is exactly what stops them getting started. OMSE is designed to close it.

Who can apply

OMSE isn't open to everyone, but the eligibility list is broader than people often expect. As well as first-time buyers, you may qualify if you fall into one of these priority groups:

• Social renters (people who rent from a council or Registered Social Landlord)

• People with a disability who can demonstrate a housing need

• Members of the armed forces

• Veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years

• Widows, widowers and partners of service personnel who have lost their life while serving, within the last two years

• People aged over 60 with a housing need

  
  

Price thresholds have moved

One important thing to check before you start viewing properties: OMSE has maximum price thresholds, and these vary by local authority area and by the size of the property (number of bedrooms and self-contained living rooms). A three-bedroom home in one part of the country might have a very different threshold to the same size property somewhere else.

These thresholds have been updated, so if you looked at OMSE previously and thought a property was out of reach, it may be worth another look. You can check the current thresholds for your area on the Scottish Government website.

The First Home Fund also remains open

Alongside OMSE, the First Home Fund, which opened in June 2026, is also still accepting applications. If you're weighing up your options for getting on the property ladder, it's worth having both schemes on your radar, since which one suits you best will depend on your circumstances.

How we can help

Schemes like OMSE can feel complicated from the outside; there are eligibility rules, thresholds, affordability assessments and paperwork to work through. That's exactly where we come in.

At Greenshoots Financial, we're whole-of-market and directly authorised, which means we're not tied to one lender or one product. We look across the market to find the right mortgage to sit alongside your OMSE contribution, and we handle the process with you from your very first conversation right through to completion.

We'll talk you through whether you meet the eligibility criteria, help you understand what the thresholds mean for the areas you're interested in, and work with you and your chosen lender to get your application in good shape. If you're a member of the armed forces, a veteran, or connected to a forces family, we understand the additional questions that can come up, from postings to pension calculations, and we're used to working through them.

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll make, and shared equity schemes like OMSE add a layer that not every broker deals with regularly. We do. If you think OMSE, the First Home Fund, or another route onto the property ladder might be right for you, get in touch and we'll talk you through your options.

Greenshoots Financial is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Please note your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.