Yes, many council tenants in England have the legal right to purchase their home under the Right to Buy scheme. Introduced in 1980 under the Housing Act, the scheme has enabled over two million council tenants to become homeowners by allowing them to buy their home from the council at a discount that reflects how long they have been a public sector tenant. Scotland ended Right to Buy in 2016, and Wales ended it in 2019, so the scheme currently applies in England only.

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Who Is Eligible for Right to Buy

To qualify for Right to Buy in England, you must meet the following conditions. You must be a secure tenant of a council property, meaning your tenancy is a secure tenancy rather than a licence or a temporary arrangement. The property must be your only or main home. You must have been a public sector tenant for a total of at least three years, though these three years do not need to be continuous and do not all need to be with the same landlord.

Certain properties are excluded from Right to Buy, including properties that are particularly suited to older people or those with physical disabilities, properties in areas designated for housing in perpetuity, and some sheltered accommodation.

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The Right to Buy Discount

The discount you receive depends on how long you have been a public sector tenant and what type of property you are buying. For a house, the discount starts at 35 percent after three years and increases by one percent for each additional year up to a maximum of 70 percent. For a flat, the discount starts at 50 percent after three years and increases by two percent per additional year up to the same 70 percent maximum.

There are also cash limits on the discount, which are set regionally and reviewed periodically by the government. As of recent years, the maximum discount in London has been the highest in the country, at over 100,000 pounds, with lower limits elsewhere. The discount you receive is the lower of the percentage discount and the applicable cash limit.

Example

A tenant who has been in the public sector for 15 years is buying a house. They qualify for a 47 percent discount (35 percent plus 12 additional years at one percent each). If the house is valued at 180,000 pounds, a 47 percent discount would be 84,600 pounds, giving a purchase price of 95,400 pounds, subject to the applicable regional cash cap.

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The Application Process

The Right to Buy process begins by submitting an application form, known as an RTB1 form, to your council. The council has four weeks to confirm whether you have the Right to Buy and, if so, to request a valuation. The council then has eight weeks to make you a formal offer, known as a Section 125 notice, which sets out the proposed sale price, the discount, and the terms of sale. You then have twelve weeks to accept the offer, though you can request a review of the valuation if you believe it is too high.

Once the offer is accepted, the purchase proceeds through a solicitor in the same way as any other property transaction, including searches, exchange of contracts, and completion.

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Resale Restrictions

If you sell the property within five years of purchasing it under Right to Buy, you must repay some or all of the discount to the council. The repayment amount reduces by 20 percent for each complete year of ownership, so after one year you repay 80 percent of the discount, after two years 60 percent, and so on until after five years no repayment is required.

In addition, for properties purchased in designated rural areas, the council may have a right of first refusal if the property is sold within ten years of the Right to Buy purchase.

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Recent Changes and the Future of Right to Buy

The Right to Buy scheme in England has been subject to ongoing policy debate, with the government periodically reviewing the maximum discounts and eligibility requirements. Some councils have sought to extend the restrictions or reduce the scheme's scope in areas of acute housing shortage. The scheme remains in force in England as of 2025, but tenants should check current government guidance for the most up-to-date discount levels and eligibility conditions before making an application.

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Summary

Council tenants in England who have been public sector tenants for at least three years and who occupy the property as their main home have the legal Right to Buy their home at a significant discount. The discount increases with qualifying years of tenancy up to a maximum of 70 percent, subject to regional cash caps. The application process is structured and takes several months from application to completion. Resale restrictions apply for the first five years.