Legal
What is Right to Buy?
Right to Buy allows most council tenants to buy their council home at a discount. There are different rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
You can apply to right to buy if:
- The property is your only or main home.
- It is self-contained.
- You are a secured tenant.
- you’ve had a public sector landlord (for example, a council, housing association or NHS trust) for three years – it does not have to be three years in a row.
How much discount can I get?
There are different discount levels for houses and flats.
If you’re buying with someone else, you count the years of whoever’s been a public sector tenant the longest.
Houses
You get a 35% discount if you’ve been a public sector tenant for between three and five years. After five years, the discount goes up 1% for every extra year you’ve been a public sector tenant up to the maximum discount amount.
Flats
You get a 50% discount if you’ve been a public sector tenant for between three and five years. After five years, the discount goes up 2% for every extra year you’ve been a public sector tenant, up to the maximum discount amount.
Maximum discount
The maximum discount you can get is whichever is lower:
- 70% of the value of your property
- the maximum discount for your region
As mentioned in an article in the Barking & Dagenham website under ‘Right to Buy frequently asked questions (FAQs)’, please ‘be wary of companies who offer Right to Buy help’, these companies often charge thousands of pounds and if their fees are added to your mortgage, you will pay interest on them.
July Carvajal, Conveyancing Paralegal in Mullis & Peake LLP Solicitor’s residential property team, said:
“If you have been living as a secure tenant at a council property or housing association property (participating ones) and would like to explore the possibility of exercising the Right to Buy scheme on your property, please contact our residential property team at our Romford office on 01708 784000 for more information.”