Right To Buy

Many tenants of local authorities (councils) or housing associations (registered social landlords) have the right to purchase their homes from their landlord and at a discounted price.

There are various qualifications, conditions and exceptions to this, depending on:

the date the tenancy began
the landlord's rules (e.g. whether its has charitable status)
the type of property (e.g. grouped housing for 'persons with special needs' or houses 'for persons of pensionable age' are exempt)
how much has been spent on its improvement or repair in recent years
whether the tenancy transferred from another landlord
the conduct of the tenancy (e.g. whether there are rent arrears)
whether the landlord wishes to demolish the property (e.g. to redevelop as part of a regeneration programme)

and other considerations.

Link tenants who may qualify for the Right to Buy are:

those whose tenancy began before 2nd January 1989 ('Secure' tenants in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987)
those who became Link tenants as a result of a transfer of ownership of their home from a local authority or Scottish Homes (Scottish Special Housing Association).

Link tenants who do not have the Right to Buy are those whose tenancies began since 2nd January 1989 (other than by stock transfer) because Link had charitable status before 18th July 2001.

This is a very complex area and the above text is not to be assumed to be a comprehensive or definitive interpretation of the law.

For further information, contact Link's Customer Service Centre on 08451 400 100.

Or contact the Scottish Government.

Information is also available from other sources such as the local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Page last updated on Wednesday, 23 July 2008