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Right to buy your home
Right to Buy (RTB) is a government scheme which gives qualifying council tenants a chance to buy their homes.
You will usually qualify for a discount from the full market valuation of their property if you have been a secure public sector tenant for at least three years.
You will usually qualify for a discount from the full market valuation of their property if you have been a secure public sector tenant for at least three years.
How the Right to Buy scheme works
Your discount is calculated by how many years you have been a secure tenant.
Three to five years as a secure tenant gives you a 50% discount when you buy your flat or maisonette and 35% when you buy your house.
Qualifying for Right to Buy
If you do not want to apply, you must agree to the sale by filling in the appropriate part of the application form.
Three to five years as a secure tenant gives you a 50% discount when you buy your flat or maisonette and 35% when you buy your house.
If you have been a secure tenant for six years or more, you will get an extra 2% discount per year for flats or maisonettes and an extra 1% discount per year for houses. This is capped at 70% or the maximum cash discount - whichever is lower.
Use the Right to Buy Discount Calculator to find out how much discount you qualify for.
Current discount cap
The amount of discount you can receive is capped.
The current maximum discount for London is £108,000 and £80,900 for the rest of the country for Right to Buy applications received on or after 6 April 2018.
This maximum discount will not apply to applications received before 6 April 2018.
2019/20 discount caps
Notification of Maximum Right to Buy discount caps for 2019/20:
- London: £110,500
- Outside London: £82,800
These discounts will apply to applications which are served on Newham Council by the tenant on or after 6 April 2019.
The discounts do not apply retrospectively to applications made before 6 April 2019.
Qualifying for Right to Buy
Before applying for the Right to Buy scheme, you should check to see if you qualify. Eligibility applies to both you and your property.
To qualify:
- you must be a secure tenant in the property you wish to buy
- you must have spent at least three years as a public sector tenant
- the property must be your only or main home
- you must not have breached your suspended possession order
- your home must not be due for demolition (a notice would have been served on you).
Buying with family members
You can buy your home with family members or a spouse/civil partner, even if they are not joint tenants, as long as:
- it is their only or principal home
- they have lived there for a minimum of 12 months before applying.
Family members cannot apply for the Right to Buy or buy the property without the main tenant(s).
Joint tenants
In a joint tenancy usually both tenants must apply to buy.
If you do not want to apply, you must agree to the sale by filling in the appropriate part of the application form.
You should also consider getting legal advice, as when you end your tenancy you will lose rights to the property.
Find out how much your property is worth
It is a good idea to find out how much your home might be worth before you buy so you can plan ahead.
You don’t need to apply to the Right to Buy scheme just to get your property valued. You can:
You don’t need to apply to the Right to Buy scheme just to get your property valued. You can:
- get a free online valuation from the Right to Buy website
- ask a local high street estate agent to value your property.
Can you afford it?
Before you think about buying your property it is a good idea to think about the costs involved. There are other one-off costs besides paying for the value of your property, including:
- stamp duty
- surveys
- solicitors fees.
Leaseholders
If you are buying a flat or maisonette you are likely to become a leaseholder. Your lease will usually be 125 years and can be renewed.
As a leaseholder you will be responsible for paying:
You must also consider major works. These are repairs and improvements that we make to your building that you may need to pay towards.
Freeholders
If you are buying a house, it is likely that you will become the freeholder. This means that you are responsible for paying for all repairs and maintenance work.
Applying for the Right to Buy scheme
Buying a home can be a long process. The same applies when buying through the Right to Buy scheme.
Get a break down of the full Right to Buy process.
When you are ready to apply, apply online.
Apply
Contact us
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Right to Buy
020 8430 2000