• Who has the Right to Buy?

You may have the Right to Buy your home if you are a secure tenant with a minimum of two years tenancy (five years for new tenants after 18 January 2005).
You may also qualify if you have had a tenancy with another council, housing association or if you have lived in armed forces accommodation.
There are some instances where you may not be able to buy your home, which include housing suitable for elderly or disabled people.

• How do I find out how much it will cost to buy my property?

You first need to apply to buy your property, you do this by completing a Right to Buy application form which can be requested over the phone or on line. If you find it difficult to understand we can help you to fill it in, we do not charge for this service.

• How much discount will I get?

The longer you have been a tenant, the more discount you will get. The discount allowed for a house starts at 32% after 2 years up to a maximum of 60% after 30 years. For flats the discount starts at 44% after 2 years and rises to 70% after 15 years (all discount is limited to a maximum of £26,000 for Bury tenants). Any previous tenancies with other social landlords can count towards your discount.

• Can my son/daughter/partner etc. buy my property for me?

As the tenant of the property you must be included in the purchase of the property. If a family member/partner etc. does not live at the property they cannot be included on the Right to Buy. Only people registered on the Council’s electoral role as living at the property for a period of not less than 12 months will be allowed to join you in the purchase. However a family member/partner etc. who is not registered as living at your property can put up the finance for the purchase, but still will not be named on the sale as a joint purchaser.

• Can you recommend a solicitor or building society who will help me with my purchase?

It is not good policy to advise tenants on any particular company or lending institution as this could be seen as being biased against others. We would suggest that you shop around for the best deal and perhaps take advice from other family members and friends who may have had good service from a particular company.

• How long will it take to buy my property?

From receiving your application to sending out your Offer Notice should take a maximum of 12 weeks for houses and 16 weeks for flats. You then have three months to decide if you want to accept the offer. On receipt of your Acceptance form, the Council Solicitor normally takes approximately 6 weeks to gather all of the information required by your Solicitor. On receipt of this paperwork your Solicitor should be in a position to agree a date for completion.
nb. This process can be delayed depending on your Mortgage Company/structural surveys etc.

• What if I want to sell my property in the future? - Right of first refusal

If you purchase your home on or after 18 January 2005, and you want to resell it within 10 years of your purchase, you will be required to offer the property to Bury MBC or a social landlord nominated by Bury MBC. More information is available in the booklet “Your Right to Buy your home”

For more information and guidance regarding purchasing your home, please read booklets “Your Right to Buy your Home” & “Thinking of buying a council flat?” We can provide you with these booklets or “Your Right to Buy your Home” is available on line at: The Department for Communities and Local Government (pdf)