Right to buy

Discount Entitlement

Change in Discount Eligibility

From the Budget announcement last week (Wc 28 October 2024), discounts are to be reduced from 21 November 2024. 

We are awaiting further instruction on the actual figures from DLUHC, however the guidelines state for Yorkshire and the Humber that the maximum discount applicable is £24,000 thereafter. 

Any eligible application that the Right to Buy team have received up until 21 November 2024, will have the original discount applied.

Your right to buy your home guide sets out the eligibility criteria for all applicants from 21 November 2024. Ensure you have read this carefully before submitting an application.

Current entitlement

The Right to Buy scheme gives you a discount on the market value of your home. The longer you have been a tenant, the bigger the discount you could get. This amount increases every April with inflation, view current rates.

All discounts start at 3 years of the eligible tenancy. Discount levels for houses and flats are different. Go to the website here for further details, but in summary -

  • house - If you live in a house, discount starts at 35% for 3 years tenancy. The discount remains at 35% for the 4 and 5 years. It then increases by 1% for each extra year of the tenancy, up to a maximum of 70% for 40 years of tenancy
  • flat - If you live in a flat, discounts start at 50% for 3 years tenancy. The discount remains at 50% for the 4 and 5 years. It then increases by 1% for each extra year of tenancy, up to a maximum of 70% for the 15 years of tenancy

If you have bought a council property in the past under the Right to Buy scheme, the amount of discount you received for that property will be deducted from the amount of discount you are entitled to for your current property.

The cost floor rule

Your discount may also be reduced by a special rule called the cost floor. The cost floor rule may apply if your home has recently been -

  • purchased by the council
  • built by the council
  • we have spent money on repairing and maintaining it

Under the cost the floor rule, the discount you receive must not reduce the price you pay below what has been spent on it by -

  • building
  • buying
  • repairing
  • maintaining

If the cost of works carried out over the 10-year period is greater than the market value of your home, you will not receive any discount. This period is 15 years if your home was built or acquired by us after Monday 2 April 2012.