Statistical data set

Live tables on social housing sales

The latest data tables on social housing sales.

The tables below provide statistics on the sales of social housing stock – whether owned by local authorities or private registered providers. The most common of these sales are by the Right to Buy (and preserved Right to Buy) scheme and there are separate tables for sales under that scheme.

The tables for Right to Buy, tables 691, 692 and 693, are now presented in annual versions to reflect changes to the data collection following consultation. The previous quarterly tables can be found in the discontinued tables section below.

From April 2005 to March 2021 there are quarterly official statistics on Right to Buy sales – these are available in the quarterly version of tables 691, 692 and 693. From April 2021 onwards, following a consultation with local authorities, the quarterly data on Right to Buy sales are management information and not subject to the same quality assurance as official statistics and should not be treated the same as official statistics. These data are presented in tables in the ‘Right to Buy sales: management information’ below.

Social housing sales

Right to Buy sales

Right to Buy open data

Right to Buy Sales open data, data dictionary

Right to Buy sales: management information

Right to Buy Management Information 2023-24

Other schemes

Table 683: annual Social HomeBuy sales for England

Demolitions

Social housing sales and demolitions open data

Household characteristics

Local authority housing statistics data

Further data on local authority social housing sales can be found in section B of the Local Authority Housing Statistics data returns.

Discontinued tables

Table 643: financial data on the Right to Buy scheme, by region (final version)

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Table 648: annual social housing sales by local authority (final version)

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Table 670: local authority stock sold through the Right to Buy scheme, by region (final version)

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Table 671: annual Right to Buy sales for England (final version)

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Table 672: local authority stock sold through the Right to Buy scheme, by region (quarterly) (final version)

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Table 674: all sales of local authority stock (including transfers to registered providers), by region (final version)

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Table 675: registered provider stock sold through the Right to Buy scheme, by region (final version)

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Chart 676: social housing sales: all sales of local authority stock (including transfers to registered providers), England (final version)

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Chart 679: total social housing sales, England (final version)

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Chart 680: all sales of registered provider stock, England (final version)

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Table 685: annual Right to Buy sales by local authority (final version)

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Table 688: annual Right to Buy sales per 1,000 dwellings of existing stock, by local authority (final version)

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Archived Right to Buy sales: management information

Right to Buy Management Information 2021-22

Right to Buy Management Information 2022-23

Sale of local authority dwellings

Figures on social housing sales only include the number of sales of existing social stock. These include sales under Right to Buy, Preserved Right to Buy, Right to Acquire, Social HomeBuy, Voluntary Purchase Grant, and other outright or shared equity sales of existing stock.

Sales through low cost home ownership schemes where these do not relate to existing social stock, i.e. sales of newly built homes for shared ownership or acquisitions of private sector homes for affordable home ownership, are excluded from these statistics. Stock transfers to registered providers, either from local authorities or other registered providers, and demolitions are also not included in the total social housing sales figures (with the exception of live tables 648 and 674 and chart 676 which show social sales including transfers to registered providers; data on demolitions are presented in live table 684).

The old definition of registered social landlord has been replaced with the concept of registered providers of social housing. All providers of social housing will now be listed on a register and will become a ‘registered provider’. A distinction between this system and the old system of registered social landlord is that a provider of social housing can now be either a non-profit organisation or a profit-making organisation. Each body will be designated as one or the other upon being entered on to the register. Registered social landlord automatically became non-profit registered providers under the new system.

Schemes

The Right to Buy scheme was introduced by the 1980 Housing Act with effect from October 1980. Right to Buy is available to:

  • secure tenants of local authorities and registered providers
  • registered providers assured tenants who have been transferred with their homes as part of a stock transfer from a local authority to a registered provider - these tenants have a Preserved Right to Buy

Qualifying tenants may purchase the home they rent from their social landlord at a discount.

The Right to Acquire scheme was introduced by the Housing Act 1996 with effect from 1 April 1997. The scheme enables eligible housing association tenants living in qualifying properties to buy their rented home at a discount. Right to Acquire only applies to properties built or acquired by housing associations, both charitable and non charitable, with public funds from 1 April 1997 onwards. Properties transferred from a local authority to a housing association after 1 April 1997 are also eligible. Some properties are exempt from Right to Acquire including sheltered housing and homes located in small rural settlements.

Social HomeBuy is a voluntary scheme which was introduced in April 2006. It enables tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to buy a share of between 25% and 100% in their rented home. Social HomeBuy helps in particular housing association tenants who do not have the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire, and social tenants who cannot afford outright purchase. Tenants receive a discount on the initial share purchased and on any additional shares they buy. This is equivalent to the Right to Acquire discount (between £9,000 and £16,000 - depending upon the local authority area in which the property is located), pro-rata to the share purchased.

Voluntary Purchase Grant was a voluntary scheme which enabled tenants of participating housing associations to buy their rented home outright at a discount. The scheme helped tenants who did not have the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire. Voluntary Purchase Grant was replaced by Social HomeBuy in April 2006.

Published 10 November 2012
Last updated 8 February 2024 + show all updates
  1. Data for 2022-23 has been added to tables 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 691, 694, 695, 696 and 697, as well as the social housing sales and demolitions open data. Some data for previous years has been revised where necessary.

  2. Added Right to Buy Management Information for Q2, updated the data from Q1

  3. Right to Buy Management Information has been added for Q1 of 2023-24

  4. Updates to Live Tables 691, 692, 693, Right to Buy sales open data, Right to Buy replacements open data

  5. Revisions to Live Table 678, 682, 684 and 691

  6. Addition of Q3 data for Right to Buy Management Information

  7. Update of live table 691

  8. Addition of Q2 for Right to Buy Management Information

  9. New 2021-22 data added to Live Tables 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 694, 695, 696, 697, Social Housing open data and associated data dictionary

  10. New Right to Buy management information added

  11. Added annual live tables for Right to Buy sales, receipts and replacements by local authority. Added Right to Buy sales open data.

  12. Updated tables 678, 681, 682, 684, 694, 695, 696, 697

  13. Added Right to Buy sales: management information up to December 2021.

  14. Updated live tables 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 694, 695, 696, 697. Updated open data and data dictionary. Added Right to Buy sales: management information up to September 2021.

  15. Added Right to Buy sales: management information April to June 2021.

  16. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  17. Updated tables 691, 692, 693.

  18. Updated tables 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 694, 695, 696 and 697. Added open data.

  19. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  20. Updated tables 678, 691, 692 and 693.

  21. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  22. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  23. Updated tables 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 694, 695, 696 and 697.

  24. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  25. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  26. Updated tables 684, 691, 692 and 693.

  27. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  28. Replaced live tables: 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 688, 694, 695, 696, 697

  29. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  30. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  31. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  32. Updated live tables 691,692, 693

  33. Updated tables 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 688, 694, 695, 696. Added new table 697.

  34. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  35. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  36. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  37. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  38. Updated tables are 648, 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 688, 694, 695 and 696.

  39. Replaced tables LT691, LT692 and LT693

  40. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  41. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  42. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  43. Updated tables 648, 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 692, 693, 694, 695 and 696.

  44. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  45. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  46. Updated tables 691, 692 and 693.

  47. Live tables 671, 678, 685, 691, 692 and 693 updated.

  48. Updated tables 648, 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 691, 694, 695 and 696.

  49. Updated tables 671, 678, 685, 688, 691, 692 and 693.

  50. Updated tables 671, 678, 685, 688, 691, 692 and 693.

  51. Added updated table 648.

  52. Updated tables 688, 691, 692 and 693.

  53. Updated tables 691, 692, 693 and 688

  54. Updated tables 671, 677, 678, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685 and 691.

  55. Updated tables 671, 678, 685 and 691. Added new tables 688, 692 and 693.

  56. Updated tables 671, 678, 682 and 691. Added new table 685.

  57. Updated table 691 with figures for 2012 to 2013 quarter 3.

  58. Updated chart 671.

  59. Tables 648 and 691 updated.

  60. First published.