Right to buy for council housing tenants

Right to Buy is a government scheme that allows most council tenants in England to buy their home at a discount. Introduced in 1980 under the Housing Act, it is designed to help people take their first step into home ownership. Over 2 million homes have since been sold under the policy.

Housing Association tenants can apply through the Right to Acquire, but eligibility and discounts are more limited than council tenants, unless your home was once owned by the council and transferred to the housing association.

Who can apply?

You may be eligible if:

you are a secure tenant of a council or housing association (living in a home that used to be owned by the council).
you’ve been a social housing tenant for at least 3 years (not necessarily continuous)
the property is your only or main home
your home is self-contained (you don’t share facilities like a kitchen or bathroom)

How much discount can I get?

The scheme allows for tenants to get a discount on the market value of their home. The amount of discount depends on:

how long you have lived in the property
whether it’s a flat or a house
the property’s market value

The longer you have lived in your home, the greater the discount from the property’s market value. The maximum discount you can get is the lower of:

70% of the value of your property
the maximum discount for your region

Maximum discounts have been reduced since November 2024, and the maximum you can receive in England (depending on region) is £38,000. The maximum discount for London is £16,000 (£38,000 in Barking, Dagenham and Havering).

If you applied to buy your home before 21 November 2024, you are still eligible for higher discounts.

Your discount will be less if your landlord has spent money building or maintaining your homes.

Is there a catch?

you’ll usually need to take out a mortgage to buy your home
you’ll become responsible for repairs and maintenance to your home and for a percentage of repair costs to the block (if you live in a flat)
if you sell within 5 years, you will have to repay some or all of the discount
once you buy your home, you are no longer a tenant and you become either a freeholder or a leaseholder
leaseholders (especially flat owners) must pay service charges, which can sometimes be high