Can I buy the home I rent?

If you’ve been a tenant for three or more years, you may be able to buy your home at a discounted price. 

There are two ways to do this:

• Right to Buy
• Right to Acquire

Right to Buy (RTB)

You might be able to buy your home if:

• You have a secure tenancy given to you by St Helens Council before 1 July 2002
• You have a secure tenancy given to you by Warrington Borough Council before 29 July 2010
• You became a tenant with Liverpool Mutual Homes prior to their stock transfer in April 2008, i.e. your tenancy started with Liverpool City Council

And:

• You don’t live in sheltered housing or housing specifically for elderly or disabled people
• You don’t have or have cleared any arrears and there is no possession notice in force
• The discount depends on how long you have held your tenancy with your local authority for.

The Government Right to Buy calculator will give you an idea.

Find out more about RTB at gov.uk.

Right to Acquire (RTA)

You might be able to buy if:

• You have a tenancy given to you by Torus (formerly Helena Homes after 1 July 1 2002
• You have a tenancy given to you by Torus (formerly GGHT) after 29 November 29 2010
• You have a tenancy given to you by Torus (formerly Liverpool Mutual Homes) after stock transfer.

And:

• You don’t live in sheltered housing or housing specifically for elderly or disabled people
• You don’t have or have cleared any arrears and there is no possession notice in force

You will need to have held a tenancy of any social landlord for a minimum of three years.  The discount is between £9,000 and £16,000 on the price of your property. The amount of discount you’ll get depends on where you live, please contact us to find out more.

Certain types of homes may not be eligible for the Right to Buy / Acquire schemes, these include:

• Temporary accommodation
• Specialist housing for older people, or people with a physical or mental disability
• Where your home is provided as part of your employment