What changed in November 2024
This is the single most important thing to know, because most online guides and word-of-mouth still quote the old figures.
Until 20 November 2024, the maximum Right to Buy cash discount was £102,400 across most of England and £136,400 in London boroughs. From 21 November 2024, the government returned the maximum discounts to their pre-2012 levels: a regional cash cap of between £16,000 and £38,000, depending on where in England you live.
If you saw a "£102,400 discount" headline — it is out of date
Any application received on or after 21 November 2024 is subject to the new £16,000–£38,000 regional cap. The large old discounts only applied to applications received before that date. Always check the current cap for your region on GOV.UK before making any decision.
Other reforms to Right to Buy have also been introduced or consulted on, including changes to the minimum qualifying period and the length of time you must repay discount if you sell. Because these rules are actively changing, treat any figure you read — including ours — as a starting point, and confirm the current position with your council and on GOV.UK before committing.
Who qualifies?
To have the Right to Buy in England you generally need to meet all of these:
- You are a secure council tenant — or a tenant of a housing association that took over your home from the council with Right to Buy "preserved".
- The property is your only or main home — not a second home.
- It is self-contained — you do not share rooms like a kitchen or bathroom with people outside your household.
- You have been a public sector tenant for the qualifying period. This was three years (not necessarily continuous, and not necessarily in the same home). Reforms have been increasing this, so check the current period.
You usually cannot use Right to Buy if
- The home is sheltered or supported housing for older or disabled people.
- The home is scheduled for demolition.
- Your landlord is being wound up, or you have legal money problems such as bankruptcy or an outstanding possession order.
- You rent from a housing association under an assured tenancy — you may instead have Right to Acquire (see below).
You can apply jointly
You can buy with someone who shares the tenancy, 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). More names on the mortgage can help affordability — but everyone named takes on the responsibility and the repayment conditions.
How the discount works now
Your discount is a percentage of the home's market value, based on how many years you have been a public sector tenant — but it is capped two ways.
The percentage
- Houses: a starting percentage after the qualifying period, then an extra 1% for each further year you have been a tenant, up to a maximum percentage.
- Flats: a higher starting percentage and a faster build-up (2% per extra year), up to a higher maximum percentage.
The two caps that limit it
- The regional cash cap — £16,000 to £38,000 depending on your region (since 21 Nov 2024). Your discount can never be more than this, however long you have been a tenant.
- The cost-floor rule — if the council has spent money buying, building or improving your home recently, your discount can be reduced or removed so the price does not fall below what the council spent.
Use the official calculator
GOV.UK has a free Right to Buy discount calculator that uses the current rules and your region. It gives a far more reliable estimate than any rule of thumb. Get your figure there before you make any plans.
Right to Buy vs Right to Acquire
These two schemes get confused constantly. The difference depends on who your landlord is.
Right to Buy
For secure council tenants in England (and some housing association tenants whose home transferred from the council with Right to Buy preserved). This is the scheme with the larger — though now reduced — discount of up to £16,000–£38,000.
Right to Acquire
For many housing association tenants whose home was built or bought by the association with public funding after 1 April 1997. The discount is smaller: typically £9,000 to £16,000 depending on the region. Not all housing association homes qualify — ask your association directly.
If you rent from a housing association
Don't assume you have Right to Buy. Ask your association in writing which scheme (if any) applies to your specific home. Some homes have no purchase right at all, and that is normal.
The repayment and resale rules
The discount is not a gift with no strings. Two rules matter most:
Discount repayment period
If you sell within the repayment period after buying, you must pay back some or all of the discount — 100% if you sell in the first year, then a reducing share each year after. The government has been extending this period as part of the recent reforms, so confirm the current length before you buy.
Right of first refusal
For a period after you buy, if you decide to sell you may have to offer the home back to your former landlord first before putting it on the open market.
Never sign a "Right to Buy company" deal that funds your purchase for a share of the home
Companies that offer to "lend" you the money to buy, or buy the home with you in exchange for a cut, have left many UK tenants worse off — sometimes losing their home entirely. If you cannot get a normal mortgage, that is important information about affordability, not a problem to solve with a risky third party. Speak to a free, FCA-regulated source first: MoneyHelper on 0800 011 3797.
Before you decide — the honest trade-offs
SortedUK is not a regulated financial or mortgage adviser, and Right to Buy is a major, hard-to-reverse decision. The discount is real, but so are the new costs you take on:
- You become responsible for all repairs — roof, boiler, damp, everything the council used to handle.
- Buildings insurance, ground rent and service charges — service charges on ex-council flats can run to thousands a year, including large one-off "major works" bills.
- A mortgage you must keep up — miss payments and the home can be repossessed. A council tenancy cannot be repossessed for the same reasons.
- You lose the capped, secure council rent and the council's repairing obligations.
For some households Right to Buy builds a valuable asset. For others, the ongoing costs and risk outweigh the discount. The right answer is personal — so get free, impartial help before you commit:
- MoneyHelper (UK government-backed) — 0800 011 3797. Free, impartial money and mortgage guidance.
- An FCA-authorised mortgage broker — to confirm what you can actually borrow and afford. Check the firm on the FCA register via SortedUK.
- Citizens Advice — 0800 144 8848. Free help understanding your tenancy rights and the offer.
- Shelter — 0808 800 4444. Free housing advice.
How to apply
- Check eligibility with your council and confirm the current qualifying period.
- Estimate your discount using the GOV.UK Right to Buy calculator for your region.
- Get free advice first (MoneyHelper + a mortgage broker + Citizens Advice) on whether you can afford the mortgage plus repairs, insurance and any service charges.
- Complete form RTB1 (the official Right to Buy application) and send it to your council.
- The council replies with an offer notice setting out the price, the discount, and the conditions — including the repayment period and right of first refusal. Read it carefully; you do not have to proceed.
- Get a survey and a solicitor before you exchange. See the full SortedUK home-buying journey for the conveyancing and survey steps.