New tenants after 18th January 2005

You gain the right to buy your council home once you have spent five years as a secure public sector tenant if you became a tenant after the 18th of January 2005. You may be able to exercise the Right to Buy jointly with members of your family who have lived with you for the past 12 months, or with someone who is a joint tenant with you.

Right To Buy discount rules (for new tenants after the 18th January 2005)
The scheme gives tenants a discount on the market value of their homes. You must have been a tenant for at least five years to be eligible. The discount available for five years is 35% for houses and 50% for flats. If you are buying a house, you are eligible for an extra 1% discount for each additional full year, up to a maximum discount of 60% or £30,000. If you are buying a flat, you are eligible for an extra 2% discount for each additional full year, up to a maximum discount of 70% or £30,000. Whatever percentage you are eligible for, your discount cannot be greater than the maximum discount for the area in which you live, which in the South West of England is currently £30,000. The qualifying period for discount can include time spent in different homes and with different landlords, which does not have to be continuous (for a list of Right To Buy landlords see Pages 29-32 of the booklet "Your Right to Buy Your Home").

If you have bought your home under the Right to Buy scheme, you can sell it whenever you like. However, if you sell within five years of buying it, you will usually have to repay some or all of your initial discount. For homes in urban areas (those not designated as Rural Areas or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) the Council may require you to offer your home to it if you want to resell within ten years of buying. The Council would then have to pay you the value of the property. If you wish to sell within the 'discount repayment period' you will usually have to repay some or all of the discount. The amount you repay will depend on when you made your application to buy.

Click here to see the rules about Repayment of Discount

These pages are an introductory guide; anyone intending to buy a home should get full independent legal advice.

Page last updated on 24 May 2012