Right to Buy

Who has the right to buy

You have the right to buy if you have been a council or social housing tenant for at least three years and hold a secure tenancy. 

Some types of home are excluded from the scheme, including adapted homes and sheltered housing.

Right to buy discount

You can get money off the market value of your home if you are eligible for Right to Buy.

From 21 November 2024 the maximum Right to Buy discount in London is £16,000. This discount is for applications received on or after 21 November 2024. 

For applications received between 6 April 2024 and 20 November 2024, the Right to Buy maximum discount for London is £136,400.

Check how much your home is likely to cost before applying using the Right to Buy calculator.

Costs to think about

Becoming a home owner is usually the biggest financial decision people ever make. The discount you can get under Right to Buy means that lots of tenants think about buying their home.

It is important you think about the finances and other responsibilities you would have as a home owner before you decide if buying your home is the right choice for you.

Property prices in Islington are high. The average price of a flat or maisonette at the end of 2021 was £672,342 based on Land Registry figures. So even with the Right to Buy discount, many of our properties may not be affordable to many.

See if Right to Buy is right for you.

Apply

If you want to apply for Right to Buy, follow these steps.

1. Complete your application

 If you think you are eligible, you can apply now by completing both application forms:

• Right to Buy (RTB1) application form
• Right to Buy (RTB1a) additional information form.

After completing and signing the forms, send them to us with proof of identity for all applicants (such as a colour photo of a passport or driving licence). You can email your documents to RightToBuy@islington.gov.uk.

Please email or call us on 020 7527 7715 if you have any questions about your application or if you’d like to make an appointment to see us in person. 

2. Assessment of your application

This can take up to 28 days. We will let you know our decision to approve or deny your application by post.

3. Valuation of your home

Once we have accepted your application to purchase your home, the property must be valued. We will arrange for a property survey by the council’s valuation department. They will phone or write to you with an appointment time and date.

4. Landlord’s offer

We will issue you with your Landlord’s Offer (Section 125) notice. This will give you the valuation and the purchase price after discount.

This is a very important document. You should read it very carefully and seek advice if you are not clear about anything. You have 12 weeks to accept the offer.

5. Accepting the offer

If you accept the offer, we will draw up floor plans and pass your application to our legal services department with instructions to proceed with the sale.

• You will need to appoint a solicitor or conveyancer to deal with the legal aspects of your purchase.
• You should organise the funding or mortgage arrangements and also get an independent survey from a qualified surveyor if you’ve not done so already.

6. Completion

Our legal services department will draft the necessary legal documents which will be sent to your solicitor for approval. Once the documentation is approved and mortgage arrangements are in place, your solicitors will agree a completion date with our legal department.

Beware of people offering help

There are companies and individuals that offer tenants money to apply to buy the home on their behalf. You must not enter into this type of deal. Some tenants have ended up homeless by doing this.

If you enter into this type of agreement, you will have to repay the discount. Any money that you make is unlikely to be enough to buy another home, and we will not provide you with another tenancy.