What you need to know

Right to Buy has been around in one form or another since the 1970s. It is a scheme that allows secure tenants in council homes – and, more recently, some housing association properties – to buy the home they live in at a price discounted below market value. Over the years there have been many changes in the details of the scheme and the qualifying criteria for tenants who want to buy the council or housing association home they currently rent.

There are a number of qualifying criteria for both the property and the tenant. You can apply to buy your council home if:

• It is your only or main home.
• It is a self-contained property.
• You are a secure tenant.
• You have had a public sector landlord (for example a council/local authority, housing association or NHS trust) for 3 years – it doesn’t have to be 3 years in a row.

You may also have a Right to Buy if your home used to be owned by the council, but it was sold to another landlord (for example, a housing association) while you were living in it. This is called “Preserved Right to Buy”.

You can apply for Right to Buy either in your own sole name, jointly with someone who shares your tenancy (for example, your spouse or partner), or with up to three family members who have lived with you in the home for at least one year, even if they aren’t named on the tenancy agreement.