The Right to Buy scheme allows most council tenants to buy their council home at a discounted price. To qualify, it must be your main home and you must have had a public sector landlord for at least five years. And you’ll need a conveyancing solicitor to help you.
Once you’ve applied for the right to buy and your landlord has agreed you qualify, your landlord will send you a Section 125 notice detailing the price, discount, estimates of service charges and improvement costs for five years, any structural issues with the property and the terms and conditions of sale. You then have 12 weeks to decide whether to go ahead.
Although the process for buying your council home is the same as any other residential property purchase, you should use a solicitor with experience in the right to buy, particularly if your partner or spouse does not qualify for the right to buy but will be applying for the mortgage with you.
In most cases, once your application is approved, the process is fairly straightforward because the seller is the local council (or housing association or NHS Trust) and there is no property chain. Our expert team of conveyancing solicitors will ensure you understand every step of the process and will always agree a price with you before they start.
