Local authority right to buy

From the 18th January 2005, changes to the law will affect Council Tenants' Right to Buy. The changes have been introduced to prevent abuses of the Right to Buy scheme and to try to tackle the shortage of low cost housing in both rural and urban areas. Changes include qualifying period, repayment of discount, the local authorities right of refusal and a time limit to purchase.

The Right to Buy scheme has helped almost 1.6 million council tenants in England buy their own homes. In many cases, it has encouraged more affluent tenants to remain in the neighbourhoods they have lived in for many years, helping create stable, mixed income communities.

The scheme enables local authority secure tenants with at least two years tenancy to buy their homes at a discount price. It is targeted at well-established public tenants, with the discount increasing in rough proportion to the years they have been paying rent.

If eligible you can buy your home by paying the full purchase price at once with a maximum discount ranging from £16,000 to £38,000 for both flats and houses, depending on where you live.

The Right to Buy scheme is open to virtually any secure tenant who can afford to buy, with the exception of homes occupied in connection with their employment and housing specially provided for older people and (in certain cases) disabled people.