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The Right to Buy scheme was introduced in 1980 to help council and housing association tenants in England buy their home at a discount.

Since April 2012, major changes were made to Right to Buy. Maximum discounts increased from as little as £16,000 in some areas to a maximum of up to £77,900 across England (£103,900 in London).

Since discounts were increased, more than 33,000 households have taken up their Right to Buy. Money raised through extra sales now goes towards building new affordable homes for rent.

Right to Buy

Most housing association tenants do not have the Right to Buy. But if you were a secure council tenant and were living in your home when it was transferred from your council to a housing association, then you may have a ‘Preserved’ Right to Buy. We will be able to tell you if you have this ‘right’.

If you have the Right to Buy, you can buy your home in the same way as if you were still a council tenant.

Right to Acquire

If you don’t have the Right to Buy you may still be able to buy your home at a smaller discount under another scheme called Right to Acquire.

Currently only certain properties are available to buy under the Right to Acquire.

Your property must either have been:

  • built or bought by a housing association after 31 March 1997 (and funded through a social housing grant provided by the Housing Corporation or local council)
  • transferred from a local council to a housing association after 31 March 1997
  • Your landlord must be registered with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The home you want to buy must also be:

  • a self-contained property
  • your only or main home

You can find out more about Right to Buy and Right to Acquire here.

Government plans to extend Right to Buy

The Government has plans to extend Right to Buy to more housing association tenants. You can find out more about these plans and register for updates from the Government here.

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