right to buy & right to acquire

Two schemes available for existing tenants who qualify to buy their homes at a discount.

Right To Buy (RTB) or preserved Right To Buy (PRTB)

Who is eligible?

  • If you have a Secure tenancy with Home Group Limited
  • If you have an Assured tenancy (with preserved RTB) with Copeland Homes*
  • If you have an Assured tenancy (with preserved RTB) at Rayners Lane, Harrow*

* preserved RTB means you were the tenant at the property when a stock transfer took place between your original landlord and Home Group

  • If you have occupied your home for over 2 years (or 5 years if you became a public sector tenant after 18th January 2005)
    You occupy your house as your only or principal home
    You were assigned, succeeded to or inherited the tenancy from a parent or member of the family who was a secure tenancy.

You will not have the RTB/PRTB if:

You do not have a secure tenancy (or assured tenancy with PRTB)

  • You are or about to be declared bankrupt or have an arrangement in place with your creditors
  • You have been served with a court order for possession, or for Anti Social Behaviour
  • Your tenancy has been demoted due to a court order
  • Your home has been served with a notice of intention to demolish
  • Your home is let in connection with your employment
  • our home is specially provided for older people and was first let before 1 January 1990
  • Your home is sheltered housing for the elderly, the physically disabled, or the mentally ill

 

Discounts

The discount depends on how long you have been a tenant (including any time spent as a tenant with another housing association, local authority, armed forces etc). The discounts are subject to capped limits between £16,000 to £38,000 depending on the area in which you live.

The price you pay

Once we have confirmed that you are eligible for the scheme we will arrange to have your home valued. The value will be based on the open market value disregarding any improvements you have made to your home.

right to acquire

The Right to Acquire scheme is available to both assured and secure tenants, whose property was built or acquired by us on or after 1st April 1997 – (this includes properties that were part of a stock transfer from a local authority to us)

Who is Eligible?

The eligibility criteria for this scheme is initially the same as for RTB/PRTB (see above) with the exception that any properties which fall within a designated rural settlement with a population of less than 3,000 may be excluded from sale.

Discounts

The discounts are set amounts which range from £9,000 to £16,000, depending on the local authority area in which you live

Further information

Home Sales Team provide free advice on how to proceed with any of these schemes.  

If you are approached by private companies or individuals with offers of help, check out what they will gain from it.  The may say that they can help submit an application for you but may charge you for their services, when we will be able to provide this service for free.

If you have any questions, need further explanation or want an application pack please contact Anne Douse, Home Sales on (0191) 290 7729.