Housing: Rural Areas
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to strengthen Section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 to prevent its circumvention through legal or administrative loopholes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
In November 2024, the government consulted on further reforms to the Right to Buy.
A formal response to that consultation was published on 2 July 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.
As part of that response, the government noted arguments put forward by local authorities and their representative groups to exempt properties in rural areas or areas with populations of 3,000 or less.
We will explore whether changes should be made to Section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 to better protect social and affordable housing in rural communities.
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