Tenant handbook - Right to Buy

If you have been a council tenant for at least three years, you may be eligible to buy your home at a discount under the Right to Buy scheme.

The maximum discount you can receive is capped by the Government, this is usually set every April.

You can apply for the Right to Buy scheme if you are a secure tenant of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and you:

• Live in a house, bungalow, flat or maisonette which the council owns or on which it holds an appropriate lease.
• Are buying either in your sole name or jointly with other people named on the secure tenancy. On a joint tenancy the Right to Buy belongs to all tenants so you can either buy jointly or individually where the other tenants agree to this.
• Occupy the property as your only or main home.
• Have the minimum qualifying tenancy period of three years public sector tenancy. A public sector tenant is someone whose landlord is a public body such as a council, housing association or government department. The three-year period can include your current tenancy and any previous public sector tenancy. Reasons why you might not be able to buy the property:
• You or someone you hold the tenancy with is subject to an order of the court for possession of the property.
• You or someone who is joining in the Right to Buy with you has legal problems with debt. • You live in sheltered accommodation or other housing suitable for elderly or disabled people.