The opportunity to register for the latest pilot closed in September 2018.
We wrote to our customers in the pilot area to let them know how to get involved in the scheme which the government decided to run as a ballot. To be eligible for a discount under the Voluntary Right to Buy pilot scheme, customers needed to meet the following criteria. Customers need to:
- Be over the age of 18
- Have the Right to Reside in the UK
- Have been a public sector tenant (usually of a council or a housing association) for at least three years and have been the tenant of the property that you would like to purchase for at least one year
- Not be eligible for the Preserved Right to Buy or Statutory Right to Buy schemes
- The property is their only home and intended residence at the point of sale
- Not have any rent arrears on your current property or any former Home Group property, or you have a plan in place to repay arrears before any sale is completed
- The home is not due to be demolished or disposed of
- Have no outstanding possession orders
- Not be subject to bankruptcy proceedings or unfulfilled credit arrangements
- Not subject to an anti-social behaviour order or notice of intent to seek possession for breach of tenancy conditions
- Don’t already own a property or will not end your ownership on or before the completion of the Voluntary Right to Buy.
- Don’t live in a property contained in a wellbeing, older persons scheme or other supported housing, or that is let under the following tenancies:
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- Rent to Buy
- Mortgage Rescue
- Market Rent
- Starter/One year fixed term probationary
- Assured Shorthold Periodic (young person’s temporary housing)
Certain properties may not qualify. Tenants of those properties would be offered a portable discount to buy another Home Group property, or that of another Housing association involved in the pilot.
If you registered and were successful in the government ballot, we also run a series of checks on both your tenancy and property to confirm your eligibility.
What if I’m not in the region of the new pilot or am unsuccessful in the government ballot?
We are still committed to Voluntary Right to Buy and would like to offer all our customers the opportunity to own their own home.
Until the government rolls out Voluntary Right to Buy in full across England, you can explore Home Group’s other home ownership options here.