What is right to buy?
If you rent an ex-council house with Sanctuary as a secure tenant or an assured tenant with a protected Right to Buy (PRTB), then you may be able to buy your home at a discounted rate under the government’s Right to Buy scheme.
The PRTB is the legal right given to former tenants of local authorities with a secure tenancy, to buy their home. The Preserved Right to Buy only applies if you were a tenant with specific local authorities during specific dates.
How much is the discount for Right to Buy?
The discount for Right to Buy can be sizeable - up to £84,200 to be exact (or up to £112,300 in London). But of course, this will depend on the number of years you’ve been living in your current home and whether it’s a flat or a house.
Please see the Government Right to Buy scheme for more information.
Eligibility
Am I eligible for the right to buy?
This scheme is aimed primarily at council and local authority tenants. However there are a number our customers who qualify as they have the Preserved Right to Buy. This applies to people who were local authority tenants when ownership of their home transferred to Sanctuary from the council
To qualify for the right to buy you must:
- Be an assured tenant of Sanctuary Group and
- Have previously been a secure tenant of a local authority and you became an assured tenant when ownership of your home was transferred to Sanctuary Group (or to a housing association which later became a member of Sanctuary Group) and
- Have spent at least three years as a public sector tenant
- Occupy the property as your only or principal home and
- Have been living in your home on the date it was transferred to Sanctuary Group (or to a housing association which later became a member of Sanctuary Group) or
- Be a joint tenant of a tenancy with a person who satisfies all of the above or
- Have become a tenant of your home under family law proceedings in place of a person who satisfied all of the above or
- Be a family member of a previous sole tenant who satisfied all of the above in respect of your home and you inherited the tenancy or succeeded to the tenancy under a statutory succession or
- Be a family member of a previous sole tenant who satisfied all of the above in respect of your home and the tenancy was assigned to you by the previous tenant
- The scheme may apply to you if your home was owned and managed by a local council when your tenancy started and it was transferred to Sanctuary Group while you lived there.
You also may be eligible if you’ve been renting your home from us since before 15th January 1989.
Application process
How do I apply for the right to buy?
There are some other things you may wish to do before contacting us:
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Consider seeking independent legal and financial advice about your individual circumstances and to help with the legal process of buying a home
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Seek independent financial advice about the different types of mortgage available
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Remember, buying your home is probably the biggest financial decision you will ever make – so take time to consider if it’s right for you
If you wish to apply for the right to buy:
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Please contact us to check your eligibility and enquire about the right to by using the contact form below
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If you are eligible, we will supply you with an application form (called a RTB1) on request
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You must complete form RTB1 and return it to us
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You must meet certain timescales as part of the application process.
What will Sanctuary do?
We will let you know in writing if you qualify for the PRTB within four weeks of receipt of your application, if we were your landlord through the period of your tenancy, or eight weeks if you were the tenant of another landlord during this time.
If you qualify for the PRTB:
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a valuer will contact you and arrange to visit your home to carry out an open market valuation
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Within eight weeks (you have the right to buy the freehold of your home - usually if you live in a house) or 12 weeks (you have the right to buy a leasehold interest in your home - usually if you live in a flat), we will send you a written offer notice setting out the sale terms
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If you wish to proceed on the terms set out in the offer notice, you must tell us no later than 12 weeks from the date of the offer notice that you wish to proceed
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Please note that you can withdraw your application at any stage if you wish
Right to Buy in Scotland
The 'Right to Buy' scheme ended for council and housing association tenants in Scotland on 31 July 2016. This decision was made to preserve social housing for those who need it most. As a result, tenants in Scotland are no longer able to buy their homes through the Right to Buy scheme.
The Right to Acquire scheme, which offers similar benefits to housing association tenants in England, is also not available in Scotland.
If you are a tenant in Scotland and have any questions regarding your tenancy or options available to you, please contact our Customer Hub at 0808 168 3475 or complete our general enquiry webform.
For more information, you can also visit the Scottish Government’s website about the end of the Right to Buy scheme.
Apply for the right to buy
Following the Government’s review of the right to buy discounts detailed in the Autumn budget on Wednesday 25 October 2024, discounts under the Right to Buy scheme will be reduced.
The maximum cash discount is currently £102,400 across England and £136,400 in London boroughs, this will be reduced to £16,000 - £38,000 from 21 November 2024. The level of the maximum discount available will depend on where you live.
Due to the upcoming changes, Sanctuary have suspended the initial eligibility checks and would ask anyone who is interested in establishing their eligibility to submit a Right to Buy application by 5pm on 20th November 2024. Applications received within this timeframe and who are deemed eligible will secure the current higher level of discount.
Please send completed applications to legal@sanctuary.co.uk or post to Legal Services, Sanctuary Group, Sanctuary House, Chamber Court, Castle Street, Worcester, WR1 3ZQ.
Any eligible applications received after 5pm on 20th November 2024 will be subject to the new lower level of discount.