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Rent a property at a discount to help with the cost of saving for a deposit to buy a home. Information on who is eligible and how to apply.

• Overview

  Rent to Buy helps tenants in England save for a deposit to buy a home by…

• Eligibility

  To be eligible for Rent to Buy, you must be: in full or part time…

• How the scheme works

  You apply to rent a property that is in the scheme. If you’re considered…

• How to apply

  If you live in England (excluding London), you can search for…

• Buying a home

  You can use the deposit you’ve saved to buy any home, including those…

How to buy a home: preparing to buy, deciding on a home, making offers, conveyancing, paying Stamp Duty Land Tax and making complaints.

• Overview

  Buying a home takes about 5 months on average. The process can take longer…

• Preparing to buy

  When you decide you want to buy a home, you may need to get a mortgage to…

• Deciding on a home

  There are different ways to own a property. Leasehold and freehold…

• Making an offer

  Before you make an offer, check: what the property is worth the number of…

• Transferring ownership (conveyancing)

  Once the offer is accepted, the seller is responsible for drawing up a…

• Tax

  You may need to pay: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when you buy a home in…

• Making a complaint

  You can make a complaint to a company involved in the sale if you’re…

Buy your housing association home - including how to apply, who is eligible, discounts available and where to get help and advice.

• Overview

  You might be able to buy your rented housing association home at a…

• Discounts

  You can get a discount of between £9,000 and £16,000 on the price of your…

• Applying

  Fill in the Right to Acquire application form. Send it to your landlord.…

• Your landlord’s offer

  If your landlord agrees to sell, their offer will tell you: the price they…

• Selling your home

  If you sell your home within 10 years of buying it through Right to…

• Help and advice

  Ask your landlord about Right to Acquire. They may also be able to help…

Your right to buy your council home - including how to apply, who is eligible, discounts available and where to get help and advice.

Buy your rented home through the Right to Shared Ownership scheme: who can apply, how to apply, costs, paying rent, buying more shares, repairing and selling your home.

How the First Homes scheme works, who is eligible, how to apply and the rules for managing a First Homes property after you buy one.

Supporting the Armed Forces onto the home ownership ladder.

• Updated: 9 January 2026

You can no longer apply for a Help to Buy: Equity Loan - find out about interest rates and how to manage your Help to Buy: Equity Loan.

Statistics on both Help to Buy (Equity Loan Scheme) and Newbuy.

• Updated: 16 July 2014

Buy a vehicle - how to check you’re not buying a stolen vehicle. Registering, taxing and insuring your vehicle.