‘There’s no way I can pay’: London residents despair of steep costs and forced use of ‘poor door’

Marco Scalvini lets himself into the building through the ‘poor door’ used by shared ownership residents. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

Marco Scalvini was thrilled to move into a shared ownership flat on a stylish development in south London. “I felt like I had won the lottery. The apartment was beautiful. It was central and near to the university [where I work]. The price was affordable … compared with the private market,” he says.

Scalvini, a lecturer, met the criteria for affordable housing: he was a first-time buyer and had been priced out of the capital’s housing market. But in the past year, his dream has turned into a nightmare. Peabody – the housing association managing the affordable flats in the development – has increased his service charge by 77%: he has gone from paying about £4,500 in 2023/24 to about £8,000 in 2024/25.