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Your discount depends on whether you're buying a house or a flat, and how long you've been a public sector tenant.
It's capped at whichever is lower: 70% of your home's value, or a cash limit of £38,000 outside London or £16,000 in London. The exact cash limit varies by region - check yours on thegov.uk website.
Before 21 November 2024, the maximum discount was £102,400 outside London and £136,400 in London. These caps were reduced from that date onwards.
If you're buying a house, the discount is 35% for a tenancy of 3 to 5 years, plus 1% for each extra year, up to a maximum of 70%. For example, 10 years as a tenant gets you a 40% discount.
If you're buying a flat, the discount is 50% for a tenancy of 3 to 5 years, plus 2% for each extra year, up to the same 70% maximum. For example, 10 years as a tenant gets you a 60% discount.
Your discount may be reduced if:
If your landlord has spent more on your home than it's currently worth, you won't get a discount at all.
You'll need to meet all of the following:
You can apply if you currently live in a property that's owned, or used to be owned, by a council. To boost your discount, you can also add time spent in any of these public sector properties to your total tenancy, even if it wasn't directly before your current one:
Most people know they need 3 years as a public sector tenant but what they don't realise is those years can come from different landlords, even the armed forces or NHS, and don't need to run back-to-back. Track that history down and get it in writing before you apply. It's often the difference between a landlord querying your application and just approving it.
No, it’s similar, but not the same. Right to Acquire is for housing association tenants only. The discounts are fixed and smaller than those available to Right to Buy applicants - between £9,000 and £16,000.
The rules are similar, so you’ll need to have lived in public sector property for at least 3 years. If your housing association home used to be owned by the council, you may also be eligible for the Right to Buy scheme. Ask your landlord if you have ‘preserved' Right to Buy.
Learn more about the Right to Acquire scheme on the GOV.UK. website.
Yes you can, but they’ll need to meet the terms of the scheme, which state:
Joint applicants must either:
If you’re buying with another tenant, the discount is based on who’s been a public sector tenant the longest - not added together.
Up to 3 family members who meet the above criteria can be added to the application, and some mortgage lenders allow up to 4 applicants on a joint mortgage.
If your children don’t live with you, they can't be on the Right to Buy application and own the home jointly with you. Nothing legally prevents them from helping you with the mortgage costs though.
You could use a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, where their income is used to help you meet the affordability criteria. They could also help you to buy using a family assist or more traditional guarantor mortgage.
If they want to buy you the house without your help it should also be possible, but you’ll need to speak to a broker.
If you live in an ex-council house that is now owned by another public sector landlord, such as a housing association, you may have the preserved Right to Buy.
This depends on when the property ownership changed, so it’s best to ask your landlord.
If you disagree with the price the landlord offers to sell your home for, you should contact them to explain why.
You have 3 months to do so, and must also ask them for an independent property valuation. An HMRC district valuer then assesses the value of your home and you’ll have 12 weeks to accept their figure or turn it down.
No, it’s an entirely different scheme. Both are to help people get onto the property ladder, but the rent to buy scheme is only available through housing associations.
It’s known by a range of different names depending on where you live. You can find more information about Rent to Buy on the GOV.UK. site.
It's possible, but not every lender accepts Right to Buy applications, and some ask for a cash deposit even where the discount would otherwise cover it. A mortgage broker can check the whole market for you and point you towards lenders who are more flexible on income and credit history.
The first step to getting a house is making the decision about whether it's better to rent or buy.
Here's some tips to bear in mind when you view property.
The final hurdle before the house is officially yours – swap contracts and insure the building.
Buying a house is an expensive process. Gifted deposits can help.
We look at guarantor mortgages and how they could help you get on the property ladder.
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YOU SHOULD THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE SECURING OTHER DEBTS AGAINST YOUR HOME/PROPERTY. YOUR HOME/PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate mortgages for commercial or investment buy-to-let properties.
Confused.com is not a mortgage intermediary and makes introductions to Mojo Mortgages to provide mortgage solutions.
Confused.com and Mojo Mortgages are part of the same group of companies.Confused.com 2nd Floor, Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3AL, United Kingdom. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Limited and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FRN 310635
Mojo is a trading style of Life's Great Limited which is registered in England and Wales (06246376). We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are on the Financial Services Register (478215). Mojo’s registered office is The Cooperage, 5 Copper Row, London, SE1 2LH.
To contact Mojo by phone, please call 0333 123 0012.
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