Right to Buy eligibility

Right to Buy (RTB) is a government scheme that gives qualifying council tenants the chance to buy their homes.

Most applicants who have been a secure social housing tenants for at least 3 years can receive a discount on the full market valuation of the property.

Fraudulent activity notice

We have been made aware of fraudulent activity regarding RTB.

We do not charge citizens to apply for the Right to Buy, in accordance with Right to Buy legislation. The Home Ownership Team will never contact an applicant to request money or a deposit relating to their RTB application.

If you are in doubt, you should contact the Home Ownership Team.

Who is eligible

Before applying for the RTB scheme, check if both you and the property qualify.

To qualify:

• you must be a secure tenant in the property you wish to buy
• you must have been a tenant of any council for at least 3 years
• the property must be your only or main home
• you must not have breached your conditions of tenancy or have a suspended possession order against you as the tenant
• we must not have served you with a demolition notice because your property is due to be demolished

Joint tenant applications

Where the tenancy is in joint names, both tenants must be named and sign the RTB application form regardless of whether they wish to join in the purchase or not.

If you have not joined the purchase when the Right to Buy is completed, your tenancy will end so you will lose all rights to the property. You should seek legal advice before this happens.

Non-tenant applications

Certain family members have the right to join an application to buy the property, even if they are not tenants.

All non-tenant applicants must:

• be either the tenant's spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece
• live at the property as their only or main home
• provide proof that they have been living at the property for 12 months before the date of the application

Read more information on Right to Buy eligibility.

Page last updated: 23 April 2026