Right to Buy lets most council tenants in England buy their home for less than its market value. The discount depends on whether it’s a house or a flat, how long you’ve been a public sector tenant, and where you live. Since 21 November 2024 the regional maximum discounts are much lower than before. This page covers England; the rules are different in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Who can apply
Most council tenants in England can buy their home at a discount if it's their only or main home, it's self-contained, they're a secure tenant and they've had a public sector landlord for 3 years in total.- It's your only or main home.
- It's self-contained.
- You're a secure tenant.
- You've had a public sector landlord (a council, housing association or NHS trust, for example) for 3 years, which don't have to be in a row.
You can apply jointly with someone who shares your tenancy, or with up to 3 family members who’ve lived with you for the past 12 months. If the council sold your home to another landlord, such as a housing association, while you lived there, you may have the Preserved Right to Buy: ask your landlord.
How the discount is worked out
| Houses | Flats | |
|---|---|---|
| Discount after 3 to 5 years as a public sector tenant | 35% | 50% |
| Extra for each year after 5 | 1% | 2% |
The discount can’t be more than 70% of the value or the maximum for your region, whichever is lower. If you’re buying with someone else, the years of whoever has been a public sector tenant longest count. You may get less if you’ve used Right to Buy before, or if your landlord has recently spent money on the home.
Maximum discounts
For applications from 21 November 2024:
| Region | Maximum discount |
|---|---|
| North East | £22,000 |
| North West | £26,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £24,000 |
| East Midlands | £24,000 |
| West Midlands | £26,000 |
| East of England | £34,000 (£16,000 in Watford) |
| South East | £38,000 (£16,000 in some districts, including Reading, Oxford and West Berkshire) |
| South West | £30,000 |
| London | £16,000 (£38,000 in Barking and Dagenham, and Havering) |
If you applied before 21 November 2024, the older, higher maximums apply to your application.
Example: a tenant of 8 years buying a council house valued at £200,000 in the North West. The percentage discount is 35% plus 3 extra years at 1%, so 38%, or £76,000. That’s more than the North West maximum, so the discount is £26,000 and the price £174,000.
Applying
- Fill in the Right to Buy application form (the RTB1 notice) and send it to your landlord.
- The landlord must say yes or no within 4 weeks (8 weeks if it has been your landlord for less than 3 years), and give reasons for a no.
- If it agrees, it sends an offer within 8 weeks for a freehold or 12 weeks for a leasehold, setting out the price, the discount and how each was worked out, and for a flat, estimated service charges for the first 5 years.
- You have 12 weeks from the offer to say you still want to buy. If you think the valuation is too high, write to the landlord within 3 months of the offer and ask for an independent valuation.
You can pull out and carry on renting at any time. You’ll usually need a mortgage for the rest of the price, and a conveyancer.
Selling later
Sell within 5 years and you repay some or all of the discount (all of it in the first year, then 80%, 60%, 40% and 20%, worked out on the home's value when you sell); sell within 10 years and you must first offer it to your old landlord or another social landlord.- You repay all of the discount if you sell in the first year, then 80% in the second, 60% in the third, 40% in the fourth and 20% in the fifth, as a share of the home's value when you sell.
- If you sell within 10 years, you must first offer the home to your old landlord or another social landlord in the area, at full market price.
- You may not have to repay the discount if you transfer the home to a member of your family, with your landlord's agreement.
In some rural areas and national parks, your former landlord can limit who you sell to, for example to people who have lived or worked in the area for more than 3 years.
Right to Acquire (housing association tenants)
Some housing association tenants can buy their home through Right to Acquire instead, at a discount of between £9,000 and £16,000 depending on where they live. Your landlord tells you the discount when you apply.
Related guides
- First-time buyers guide: costs, deposits, schemes and stamp duty relief in one place
- Help to Buy alternatives: the schemes that help first-time buyers now, compared
- Shared ownership explained: buying a share, paying rent on the rest and staircasing
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. PocketWise provides information and guidance, not financial advice. Seek independent mortgage advice before making decisions about borrowing.