There is an initial qualification period that you must meet before you can apply to buy your home. You must have held a tenancy with us, another local authority (or a public sector body) for at least two years before you can apply to buy. If your secure tenancy started after 18 January 2005 you do not have the Right to Buy until you have spent at least three years as a public sector tenant.
There are proposed changes to the right to buy scheme which may come into effect over the next year (the decision is subject to legislative change). These changes will effect discount levels, eligibility criteria and the introduction of the right to buy agents service - to find out more please read the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Guide below.
There is a FAQ page you may find useful.
During the last few months we have been made aware that there is a company operating in our area encouraging residents to complete Right to buy applications and that there is a requirement to take out Life Insurance policies.
There is no requirement for you to take out any policy for life insurance at the point of making a Right to buy application and no money or bank details should be exchanged with Right to Buy companies.
When we receive your right to buy application we will only carry out emergency or urgent works to your property.
These are emergency repairs (response time within 24 hours) which are needed to avoid serious health and safety problems, or prevent serious structural damage to your home. This service is to make your home safe and a full repair may not be completed at this stage. Examples of emergency or urgent works include total electrical failure, burst pipes, total communal lighting failure, making property safe.
A routine repair is when the problem does not seriously interfere with safety and security. Most minor repairs will fall into this category.
Generally, repairs outstanding or underway at completion of the sale will be cancelled.
If you wish to sell your property within 10 years of buying it through the Right to Buy scheme, you must offer us the opportunity to buy the property back. Whilst we have a right of first refusal it does not mean that we will purchase your property. However, we must be offered the opportunity to do so. The decision on whether or not to proceed will depend on our current requirements for particular property types, its location and the availability of funding.
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If you sell your property within five years of buying it through the Right to Buy scheme, you are required to pay back some, or all, of the discount you have received
If you wish to sell your property within 10 years of buying it through the Right to Buy scheme, you must offer us the opportunity to buy the property back. Whilst we have a right of first refusal it does not mean that we will purchase your property. However, we must be offered the opportunity to do so. The decision on whether or not to proceed will depend on our current requirements for particular property types, its location and the availability of funding.
If you're thinking of selling your property, you or your solicitor must send us a formal offer notice of first refusal before you sell on the open market. Please download and complete the Buy Back Notice form and either email back to us at hma.north@dudley.gov.uk or hma.south@dudley.gov.uk or return by post to; Right to Buy, Harbour Buildings, Waterfront West, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 1LN. You will be advised of our decision whether to accept or reject your offer up to eight weeks after receipt of your application.
If we decide to accept your offer, we must issue a formal acceptance notice letting you know that we wish to accept the offer. If we decide to reject your offer we will serve a formal rejection notice as soon as we have made our decision. You may then sell the property as you wish during the 12-month period starting from the day after we issue our notice.
If we fail to issue either an acceptance or a rejection notice within eight weeks of the date of receipt of your offer, you are free to sell the property as you wish during the 12-month period starting the day after the end of the eight-week period.
If you don't sell the property during the 12-month period, and then later wish to sell the property, you will need to start the process again by re-offering us the property. If you do sell the property during the 12-month period, and the new owner later wishes to sell the property within 10 years of the original Right to Buy sale, then the new owner will have to offer the property back to us.
If we accept your offer there are time limits whereby a binding contract with you for the purchase of the property should;
- not be later than 12 weeks after the date on which the acceptance notice is served on you, or
- not be later than four weeks after the date of receipt of written notification from you that you are ready to complete - whichever is later.
The time limits exclude the time taken during an appeal by either party to the District Valuer to decide the valuation of the property. If these time limits are not complied with by us, you may sell the property as you wish.
