From Qualified Mortgage Brokers
Right To Buy
This particular area of mortgage cover has quite stringent policies that do vary across the four main constituents of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Gem Mortgages can, of course, help those looking to buy their council home but the information below is relevant only to England. Information regarding all of the regions of the UK can be found on other sites or from local law services.
What follows are the general requirements needed to be considered eligible for a Right To Buy mortgage.
Eligibility
You must have been a council, housing association or armed forces tenant (or a combination of these) for a total of at least:
- two years if your tenancy started before 18 January 2005
- five years if your tenancy started on or after 18 January 2005.
Even if this is the case, you may be excluded if:
- the property isn't your only or main home
- your home isn't self-contained
- you live in sheltered housing where services are provided
- your home has been designed or adapted for people with special needs
- the council has demoted your tenancy or obtained a court order to suspend your Right to Buy because you have behaved antisocially
- your home is provided as part of your job (for example, if you are a caretaker)
If your home has been transferred from the council to a housing association since you moved in, you probably still the Right to Buy. This is called the 'preserved' right to buy.
You must apply to your local council for a right to buy claim form. The council is obliged to inform you of their decision, and why they have made that decision, within eight weeks of the application.
Please feel free to use the contact form and fill in the appropriate information, Gem Mortgages will be able to help you more directly with the details of your particular situation.
