Buying your council owned home.

To be eligible for the Right to Buy discount scheme you will need to have been a public sector tenant for at least three years; this means your landlord would have to be a council, NHS trust or housing association.

This three years does not have to be in one continuous period or just in the home you want to buy. However, the property has to be your only home and it has to be self contained.

You cannot apply for a Right to Buy discount if any of the following apply:

• The property is not your main home
• The property is not self-contained (i.e. you share a kitchen or bathroom)
• You have an introductory tenancy rather than a secure tenancy
• There is a court order saying you must leave your home
• You have an undischarged bankruptcy
• You are being declared bankrupt
• You owe money to creditors

Certain properties are also excluded from the Right to Buy scheme, usually if they are reserved for the elderly or for tenants who work in a specific public sector, such as firemen or the police.

However, if you live in an ex-council house that was sold to another landlord, a “Preserved Right to Buy” may still apply.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.