Right to buy or right to acquire
You may be able to buy your home under one of two schemes:
- The right to buy
- The right to acquire
These schemes give you the chance to buy your home (leasehold not freehold) at a price lower than the full market value. This is because the length of time you have spent as a tenant entitles you to discount.
Right to buy
You may have the right to buy your home if it used to belong to Bolton Council and then ownership was transferred to Bolton at Home.
If you had this right when you were a tenant of Bolton Council, these rights would have been protected when Bolton at Home became your landlord.
To qualify for the right to buy scheme you need to meet the following criteria:
- You must have an "assured non-shorthold, preserved rights" type of tenancy.
- If your first secure or 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 or 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).
Right to acquire
If you do not qualify for the right to buy, you may qualify for the right to acquire.
To qualify for the right to acquire, you and your home need to meet the following criteria:
-
If your first public sector tenancy started before 18 January 2005, you do not have the right to acquire until you have been a public sector tenant for 2 years (this can be at different properties).
-
If your first public sector tenancy started after 18 January 2005, you do not have the right to acquire until you have been a public sector tenant for 5 years (this can be at different properties).
You can get advice more from the Home Ownership Team at Bolton’s Housing Advice Services.
Email: housing.advice@bolton.gov.uk
Write to:
The Home Ownership Team
Housing Advice and Home Ownership Service
1 Silverwell Lane
Bolton
BL1 1QN
Call: 01204 335423