Right to Acquire

Home & County are specialists in helping people buy their home using the Right to Acquire scheme.

Buying your home from your Housing Association.

The Right to Acquire (RTA) was introduced in The Housing Act 1996 and gives eligible housing association tenants a statutory right to purchase the property in which they live at a discount, generally between £9,000 - £16,000 depending on the local authority area in which the property is located.

RTA only applies to properties built or acquired by housing associations, both charitable and non charitable, with public funds from 1 April 1997 onwards. (Properties transferred from a local authority to a housing association after 1 April 1997 are also eligible).

Some properties are exempt from RTA including those in small rural settlements and sheltered housing. If you are an existing housing association tenant, your landlord will be able to advise you whether your house qualifies for RTA.

To be eligible for the Right to Acquire scheme, a tenant must occupy a qualifying property, have spent a minimum period as a public sector tenant, and live in a self-contained flat or house which is their only home. The minimum period for those who were tenants before 18 January 2005 is two years. This was extended to five years for new tenants from 18 January 2005 by the Housing Act 2004.

For further details, contact Home & County on Freephone 0800 311 2030