Right To Buy – Buying Your Council House

RIGHT TO BUY HELPLINE

OVERVIEW

The Right to Buy scheme allows eligible tenants of council or housing association properties in England to purchase their homes at a discounted price. As of November 21, 2024, following a government review, the maximum discounts have been adjusted to a range of £16,000 to £38,000, depending on your location.

Discover if you qualify, the discount you could receive, and assess whether buying is affordable for you. Learn more about the process and the steps to take if you choose to apply.

0330 555 0023

DISCOUNTS

Maximum discount
The maximum discount you can get is whichever is lower:

APPLYING

Fill in the Right to Buy application form (RTB1 notice).

Send it to your landlord.

Your landlord must say yes or no within 4 weeks of getting your application (8 weeks if they’ve been your landlord for less than 3 years). If your landlord says no, they must say why.

If your landlord agrees to sell, they’ll send you an offer. They must do this within 8 weeks of saying yes if you’re buying a freehold property, or 12 weeks if you’re buying a leasehold property.

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
Region Maximum discount Exceptions
North East £22,000 Not applicable
North West £26,000 Not applicable
Yorkshire and the Humber £24,000 Not applicable
East Midlands £24,000 Not applicable
West Midlands £26,000 Not applicable
Eastern £34,000 £16,000 in the district of Watford
South East £38,000 £16,000 in the areas of Reading Borough and West Berkshire, Hart District, Oxford and Vale of the White Horse District, the boroughs of Tonbridge and Malling, Epsom and Ewell, and Reigate and Banstead
South West £30,000 Not applicable
London £16,000 £38,000 in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering
If you applied to buy your home before 21 November 2024
The maximum discount you can get is whichever of the following is lower:

70% of the value of your property
£136,400 if your home is in a London borough
£102,400 if your home is outside London

HOUSES

You receive a 35% discount if you've been a public sector tenant for 3 to 5 years. After 5 years, the discount increases by 1% for each additional year you’ve been a public sector tenant, up to the maximum discount limit.

FLATS

You receive a 50% discount if you've been a public sector tenant for 3 to 5 years. After 5 years, the discount increases by 2% for each additional year of tenancy, up to the maximum discount limit.

PRESERVED RIGHT TO BUY

The Preserved Right to Buy is a scheme that allows some housing association tenants to buy their homes at a discounted price, similar to the original Right to Buy scheme for council tenants. It applies to tenants who were living in a council property when it was transferred to a housing association