The advantages of shared ownership include being able to afford a home that is right for your needs and in the area where you want to live and work.
With potential lower monthly costs, you can reduce the risk of becoming unable to afford to keep your home. You may be able to find a mortgage more easily if you need to borrow less and you have the option to increase your ownership later on if you can afford this. Although  not all lenders will lend on shared ownership.
The initial costs in shared ownership transactions can be less as you will not usually need to pay Stamp Duty when you buy a shared ownership property, but you can opt  to pay as you staircase upward at a later date.
Potential disadvantages are that you may be slightly restricted when you look for a mortgage as not all lenders offer shared ownership deals.
The agreement may limit what improvements and alterations you can carry out at the property and it will generally be leasehold, meaning you will usually have to pay ground rent and service charges.
When you sell, you will need to sell to another shared ownership buyer. This may have to be a buyer chosen by the housing association.
With shared ownership being a more complex process, there is some risk of shared ownership disputes if a disagreement arises with the housing association or landlord.