Right to Buy
You may have the Right to Buy if your home used to belong to a Local Authority (Council) and was transferred to Swan.
If you had this right when you were a Council tenant, these rights would have been protected when Swan became your landlord.
To qualify for the Right to Buy scheme you need to meet the following criteria:
- You must have a ‘secure’ or ‘protected assured’ type of tenancy.
- If your first secure of protected assured tenancy started before 18 January 2005, you do not have the Right to Buy until you have been a public sector tenant for 2 years (this can be at different properties).
- If your first secure of protected assured tenancy started after 18 January 2005, you do not have the Right to Buy until you have been a public sector tenant for 5 years (this can be at different properties).
If you have an assured tenancy, you do not have the Right to Buy, but you may have the Right to Acquire (see below for more details).
How much will it cost to buy your home?
If you apply for the Right to Buy and your application is successful, Swan will arrange for your property to be valued by an independent, qualified surveyor. If you have the Right to Buy, you will be entitled to a discount on buying your home from Swan. The level of the discount is decided by the government. The discount you are entitled to will be deducted from the market value of your home and this will be the price at which you can buy your home. The discount you receive depends on whether you live in a flat or a house, and how long you have been a public sector tenant. Discounts increase for each year you have been a public sector tenant, but only up to a capped limit that is set for your area. The current discounts levels can be found in the information booklet that you can download on this page, or you can ask your local housing office to send you a copy.
Further Information on the Right to Buy:
Click on the link to download the Right to Buy Leaflet
Please note that the above is meant to give basic guidance only – there are more rules set in law about who can buy their home and we will be able to talk to you about your individual circumstances. For more in depth information about how the Right to Buy scheme works, please download the booklet “Your Right to Buy Your Home” from this website. Otherwise, please contact us and we will be happy to send you a copy.