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Guide to Right to Acquire

Your Mortgage
Written By:
Your Mortgage
Posted:
Updated:
09/03/2017

Right to Acquire is a scheme which enables housing association tenants to buy their home at a discount.

Tenants are eligible to apply if they have lived in a housing association or council property for more than five years or have lived in armed services, NHS trust or foundation trust accommodation for that period of time.

Under the scheme a discount of between £9,000 and £16,000 may be available on the price of your property, depending on whereabouts in the country the property is located.

When you apply for Right to Acquire your landlord might offer you the choice of buying your home, or another empty one that they own. You don’t have to accept the other property and your landlord doesn’t have to offer you one.

 

Selling your property on

If you sell your home within 10 years of buying it through Right to Acquire, you must first offer it to your old landlord. The property should be sold at the full market price agreed between you and the landlord.

If you can’t agree, a district valuer will say how much your home is worth and set the price. You won’t have to pay for their valuation.

If the landlord doesn’t agree to buy your home within 8 weeks, you can sell it to anyone.

 

Paying back your discount

If you sell your home within 5 years of buying it, you’ll have to pay back some or all of the discount you got.

If you sell within the first year, you’ll have to pay back all of the discount. On top of this, the amount you pay back depends on the value of your home when you sell it.

So, if you got a 20% discount, you’ll have to pay back 20% of the selling price. If you sell after the first year, the total amount you pay back reduces.

You pay back:

  • 80% of the discount in the second year
  • 60% of the discount in the third year
  • 40% of the discount in the fourth year
  • 20% of the discount in the fifth year

 

For further information, help and advice, click here.


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