The Right to Buy

Am I eligible?  

As a customer of Places for People Homes Limited or Places for People Living+ Limited you may be eligible to purchase your home through Right to Buy or Preserved Right to Buy if; 

• You rent your home from us and have a ‘secure’ tenancy (usually a tenancy granted to you by us before 15 January 1989) or have succeeded to a secure tenancy from a family member OR
• You were a Council tenant when your home was transferred to the Group (for example by Huntingdonshire District Council or Sheffield City Council) AND
• You don’t live in an excluded property, such as sheltered accommodation or housing specifically for elderly or disabled people AND
• You are not an undischarged bankrupt or have a bankruptcy petition pending against you or have obtained a debt relief order AND
• You do not have any outstanding possession orders 

You can read more about the eligibility criteria for Right to Buy on the Government website. 

The Right to Buy is not available for all customers with a secure tenancy.

What discount am I entitled to? 

The discount you are entitled to depends on how long you have been a public sector tenant. Your entitlement is based upon your occupation with any public sector landlord (such as a Council or a Housing Association). Details of all the types of public sector landlord there are can be found in sections 10 and 11 of the “Your Right to Buy Your Home” document.  

The maximum discount available is £96,000 (or £127,900 in London).  

To get an idea of the discount you may be entitled to, try the Government’s online calculator here.  

Can I afford to purchase my home? 

Becoming a homeowner is a big decision and we strongly recommend you take independent financial advice to check whether home ownership is for you and investigate property prices in your area and whether you can get a mortgage before applying to buy your home.

If you purchase your home, you will become responsible for costs which you may not pay as a tenant; such as mortgage repayments, buildings insurance, service charges, life assurance, mortgage protection insurance, the cost of repairing and maintaining your home, in addition to other regular payments like council tax and utilities.

To get an idea of the value of your home, you can look at the sold prices of similar properties on Rightmove or Zoopla. You can also use Zoopla’s home value tool to get an estimate of your home’s value.

You may need a mortgage to fund the purchase of your home. We suggest you speak to an independent financial advisor or mortgage advisor to discuss whether getting a mortgage is the right option for you. You can find more information on how to find a financial advisor here.

In addition to the ongoing costs of homeownership, there are some upfront costs that you will need to pay. These costs may include legal and survey fees, stamp duty, valuation fees and the costs associated with taking out a mortgage, such as mortgage arrangement fees.

You can get more information on the costs of homeownership and get free advice from the Government’s Right to Buy advisers here.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it. 

What happens next? 

To avoid any disappointment when submitting your application, you can check whether you qualify for Right to Buy by contacting the Property Sales Team by email at Property.Sales@placesforpeople.co.uk.