Right to Buy Scheme
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to communicate the recent changes to the Right to Buy scheme to eligible social housing tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
The government made clear in its manifesto that it intended to review the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012 and reiterated this in a Written Ministerial Statement on 30 July. The Right to Buy discounts review was published alongside the Budget on 30 October, and we announced that discounts would reduce to between £16,000 and £38,000 (varying by region).
We have taken a number of steps to communicate this announcement to social landlords and tenants. We wrote to both councils and registered providers through the National Housing Federation. We ensured the government’s helpline, the Right to Buy Agent Service, immediately had the new information. We also updated all relevant online materials, including the Right to Buy summary booklet, and the guidance documents that we provide for both tenants and landlords.
All the documents explained that the changes would come into force on 21 November, whilst making it clear that applications received by social landlords from eligible tenants before 21 November 2024 would be eligible for the previous maximum cash discounts. We also released press notices highlighting the discount changes and the timeframe for their implementation.
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