Your rights

If you’re renting with us, the time may come when you feel you are ready to buy your own home. Some of our customers have the right to buy their home through the ‘Preserved Right to Buy’ and ‘Right to Acquire’ schemes.

Preserved Right to Buy

If you were transferred over to us from a council, you may be eligible for the Preserved Right to Buy scheme, which gives people the opportunity to purchase their home at a discounted price. The longer you have lived there, the more discount you could get.

Right to Acquire

If you were not part of a stock transfer from a council, you may have the Right to Acquire it. 
Your property must either have been:

  • Built or bought by us after 31 March 1997 (and funded through a social housing grant provided by the Housing Corporation or local council)
  • Transferred from a local council to us after 31 March 1997.
Tram at Malin Bridge
Local Church

As well as occupying a qualifying property, you must also:

  • Have spent at least three years as a public sector tenant or in accommodation provided by the armed services, if you have been a public sector before 18 January 2005. 
  • Have spent at least five years as a public sector tenant, if your first public sector tenancy was created on or after 18 January 2005. 
  • Live in a house or flat which is a self-contained property and is your only or main home. 

Discounts are also available, though these are fixed by the government.

However, if the property is situated in an area subject to Rural Designation, it cannot be purchased. 

Your right to Shared Ownership

If you’re renting a home from us that has been funded by the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026, you may be able to buy a share of your home and become a Shared Ownership customer.

Depending on eligibility, you may be able to buy between 10% and 75% of your home.

You must have lived in the home for at least one year and been living in social or affordable housing for at least three years.

Who isn’t eligible for these schemes?

Not all of our customers will be able to buy their homes through these schemes. For example, you will be ineligible if you are:

  • An undischarged bankrupt, or have a bankruptcy petition pending against you
  • The subject of a possession order served by the court, at our request 
  • The subject of a breached Antisocial Behaviour Order served by the court, at our request
  • Subject to a formal creditors’ agreement made under the Insolvency Acts
  • Under 18 years old. 

And you may also be ineligible if the property you are in is:

  • Particularly suitable for occupation by elderly, disabled or sheltered customers
  • Subject to a demolition order

Shared Ownership staircasing

If you’re one of our shared ownership customers, you may be allowed to buy more shares in your home until you own it completely. This process is known as ‘staircasing’. 

The price you’ll pay for each share depends on the value of the property at the time you want to buy the share – though that price is normally held for six months after being valued.

If you buy 100% of your home, you will stop paying rent but you may still have a pay a service charge if services are provided to you.

Not all shared ownership leases are the same and your lease may have specific requirements that may prevent you from owning the property outright. Please contact us if you need further guidance.
 
If you would like any information about these schemes, call us on 0800 027 2057 or email info@acisgroup.co.uk