Right to Buy lets eligible council tenants buy the home they rent at a discount. To qualify you must be a secure tenant, have had a public sector landlord for at least three years, and live in the home as your only or main home. The table below shows how the discount and the price might look on a few typical homes.
Your discount depends on how long you have been a public sector tenant and whether the home is a house or a flat. For a house it is 35% after 3 to 5 years, then 1% more for each extra year. For a flat it is 50%, then 2% more each year. Both are capped at 70% of the value or the cash limit for your area, whichever is lower. Since 21 November 2024 that limit is £38,000 in most of the South East and £16,000 in most of London, so for most people the cash limit is the figure that counts.
Important: The Right to Buy discount reduces your purchase price, but you will still need a mortgage to cover the remaining balance. Not all mainstream lenders accept Right to Buy applications, and affordability is assessed in different ways. Our advisers work with specialist RTB lenders who can lend against the discounted purchase price from day one.
What Happens to the Discount if You Sell Early? If you sell within five years of completing your Right to Buy purchase, you will need to repay part of the discount. The repayment reduces by 20% for each full year you have owned the property, so after five years there is nothing to repay. Your solicitor will register this condition against the title as part of the conveyancing process.
Purchasing through Right to Buy involves several upfront costs in addition to your mortgage. These are the main expenses to factor into your budget before you apply:
Your Responsibilities as an Owner Once you complete your Right to Buy purchase, you become fully responsible for all maintenance and repair costs. For flat purchases, you will also be liable for service charges and major works contributions set by the freeholder. It is important to budget for these before you commit:
Our advisers specialise in Right to Buy mortgages and have access to lenders across the whole of market, including specialists who handle RTB applications regularly. We will confirm your discount entitlement, source the right mortgage product, and guide you through every step of the process.
Right to Buy eligibility comes down to four things: your tenancy, how long you have rented from a public sector landlord, whether the home is your main home, and whether the home itself is included in the scheme. Here is what your landlord will check when your application form arrives.
Your tenancy agreement needs to be a secure tenancy with a council. If your home moved from the council to a housing association, you may have a preserved right to buy instead. Introductory and demoted tenancies do not count until they become secure.
This can be made up of time with your local council, other councils, a housing association, an NHS trust or armed forces accommodation. The years do not need to be in a row or in the same council home.
You must live there as your only or main home, and the home must be self contained. You cannot use Right to Buy on a second home or a property you sublet.
If your home moved from the council to a housing association, you may have a preserved right to buy. If not, you may qualify for the Right to Acquire scheme instead, with a discount of between £9,000 and £16,000 depending on the local council area.
Sheltered housing for older people, homes designed for disabled residents, homes due to be demolished and some homes in rural areas are usually excluded. Your social landlord will tell you if yours is one of them.
You cannot use Right to Buy if a court has made a possession order against you, or if you are in bankruptcy proceedings or have an unpaid debt agreement with creditors. Rent arrears can also hold an application up.
How to apply
Ask your landlord for the RTB1 application form, or download it from GOV.UK. Your landlord then has 4 weeks to reply, or 8 weeks if they have been your landlord for less than 3 years. If they accept, they arrange an independent valuation and send you an offer notice showing the market value and how much discount you get. If you think the value is too high you can ask the district valuer to review it within 3 months.
Buying with family
You can buy jointly with your partner, or with up to three family members who have lived with you for the last 12 months, even if they are not on the tenancy. Adding someone can help with borrowing. Our Right to Buy mortgage guide explains how lenders treat joint applications.
Changes that may be coming
The Social Housing Bill, still going through Parliament in October 2026, would raise the qualifying period from 3 years to 10 for most people. Until it becomes law, the 3 year rule applies. If you plan to sell your home again within 5 years, read our guide to selling a Right to Buy property first.
Over 90% of our cases are fee free because the lender pays us. Mortgages under £100,000 carry a £299 fee, payable when you receive your mortgage offer, and complex or adverse credit cases can carry a fee of up to £995. If a fee applies we tell you before we start.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Only if you have a preserved right to buy, which usually applies if your home was transferred from the council to the housing association while you lived there. Otherwise you may qualify for Right to Acquire, which has smaller fixed discounts.
Yes. Any time as a public sector tenant counts towards the three years, including time with other councils, housing associations, NHS trusts and armed forces housing.
Only for set reasons, such as the home being excluded, you not having enough years as a tenant, or a possession order or bankruptcy. If they refuse, they must tell you why on the RTB2 form.
Usually not. Most lenders accept the discount as your deposit. You will still need money for legal costs and any lender fees.
