Right to Buy: buying your council home
Overview
Right to Buy allows most council tenants to buy their council home at a discount.
There are different rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
You can apply to buy your council home if:
- it’s your only or main home
- it’s self-contained
- you’re a secure tenant
- you’ve had a public sector landlord (for example, a council, housing association or NHS trust) for 3 years - it does not have to be 3 years in a row
Joint applications
You can make a joint application with:
- someone who shares your tenancy
- up to 3 family members who’ve lived with you for the past 12 months (even if they do not share your tenancy)
Ex-council homes
If your home used to be owned by the council, but they sold it to another landlord (like a housing association) while you were living in it, you may have the Right to Buy. This is called ‘Preserved Right to Buy’.
Ask your landlord if this applies to you.