Right to buy

Right to buy is a government scheme that gives secure tenants the right to purchase the property that they rent from the council.

This means that you can buy your own home without having to pay the full purchase price. Because you will receive a discount, this means you can usually buy your home for far less than on the open market.

What discount will I receive?

You could receive up to a maximum discount of £84,600 depending on the amount of time that you have been a tenant.

Who is eligible

If you are a secure tenant and have held a public sector tenancy for three years and your secure tenancy was in existence before 18 January 2005 you may be able to purchase the property that you live in. For anyone else, you can only qualify after you have spent at least 3 years as a public sector tenant.

Who cannot buy

any tenant who has a service tenancy in connection with their job
any sheltered housing tenant
any tenant whose home has been adapted, or is particularly suitable for use by a disabled person, or elderly person

Who to contact

The management of all public housing in County Durham is undertaken by Housing Associations, please contact your housing provider for more information about this scheme. Note: we deal with Right to Buy and Right to Acquire applications on behalf of Believe Housing Limited.

Deeds

Where a property has been sold under the 'right to buy' scheme, we don't retain the title deeds. If you have bought your property with a mortgage or loan, the deeds will be retained by your mortgage lender.

Your title deeds are important documents. If you hold the deeds to your property yourself, you should ensure they are kept in a secure place.