Right to Buy: discounts, rules and where it still exists

Who can apply in England

GOV.UK lists four conditions: the home is your only or main home, it is self-contained, you are a secure tenant, and you have had a public sector landlord (a council, housing association or NHS trust, for example) for 3 years, which do not have to be in a row.

You can apply jointly with someone who shares your tenancy, or with up to 3 family members who have lived with you for the past 12 months. If the council sold your home to another landlord, such as a housing association, while you lived in it, you may have the Preserved Right to Buy.

The discount

The discount depends on whether you buy a house or a flat, the value of the home, where you live and how long you have been a public sector tenant. When buying with someone else, the years of whoever has been a tenant longest count.

The discount is then capped at whichever is lower: 70% of the value, or the maximum for your region.

Applied before 21 November 2024? The older caps apply: the lower of 70% of the value, £136,400 in a London borough or £102,400 outside London.

Our calculation, same rules. A house in the North West valued at £150,000, tenant for 10 years: 35% + 5 × 1% = 40%, or £60,000. That is below 70% of the value but above the regional cap, so the discount is £26,000 and the price £124,000.

The discount is also reduced if your landlord has spent money building or maintaining the home: for applications after 21 November 2024, spending in the last 30 years counts. You get no discount if the landlord has spent more than the home is now worth.

Applying, step by step

1. Fill in the RTB1 notice and send it to your landlord.
2. The landlord must say yes or no within 4 weeks (8 weeks if they have been your landlord for less than 3 years).
3. If yes, they send an offer within 8 weeks for a freehold or 12 weeks for a leasehold. It states the price, the discount, the property, 5 years of estimated service charges for a flat, and known structural problems.
4. You have 12 weeks to say you still want to buy. If you think the value is too high, ask in writing within 3 months for an independent valuation by an HMRC district valuer.

You can pull out and keep renting at any time. If the landlord is late, forms RTB6 and RTB8 can lead to a reduction in the price.

Selling later: repaying the discount

If you sell within 5 years, you repay some or all of the discount, as a share of the value when you sell:

GOV.UK’s example: a £100,000 home bought with a 40% discount and sold after 18 months for £120,000. 40% of £120,000 is £48,000; in the second year you repay 80% of it, £38,400.

If you sell within 10 years, you must first offer the home to your old landlord or another social landlord in the area, at full market price. You can sell to anyone if they do not agree to buy within 8 weeks. In national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and designated rural areas, resale can be limited to people who have lived or worked locally.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer handles the purchase and the resale restrictions. A surveyor checks the condition, and a mortgage adviser the loan. GOV.UK also points to MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice and local Law Centres.