The Right to Buy scheme allows you to buy your council home at a lower price than the full market value, because you will be entitled to a discount.

Step 1 – How do I apply to buy my Council home?

First read the Government’s booklet “Your Right to Buy your home” which is also available from our office or can be posted out to you.

If your property is a Leasehold Flat, more information is available from The Leasehold Advisory Service on 0845 345 1993, alternatively you can go to their website www.lease-advice.org.

If you decide to make an application you need to complete Form RTB1, this form is available from Six Town Housing and all information points, it is also available to download and print by following the link RTB1 form.  When completing the form, include full details of your present tenancy and any previous tenancies for which you wish to claim discount.

The form needs to be signed by the secure tenant(s) claiming the Right to Buy and any other family member who wishes to share the Right to Buy.The form can either be handed in or posted to:
Right to Buy
Six Town Housing
Point Blue
Moor Street
Bury
BL9 5AQ

Step 2 – When will I know if my application has been accepted?

If you have the Right to Buy your property, we will advise you by sending you Form RTB2 within four weeks of receipt of your application (this could take as long as eight weeks in exceptional circumstances).

If your application is denied we will let you know within one week of receiving your application, giving you the reasons why.

Step 3 – Valuing the Property

You will be contacted by the Council’s valuation office to arrange a time for your property to be valued. The Valuation Officer will need to gain access to your property to make his valuation, this should usually take no more than 45 minutes. In some cases a Structural Survey will need to be arranged, this will be carried out by the Council’s Structural Engineer. When making his valuation, the Valuation Officer will take into consideration any defects found and he will compare values of private and recent right to buy properties.

Step 4 – Offer Notice

Within 12 weeks of your application (16 weeks if your property is a flat / maisonette or leasehold property), we will send you the Section 125 notice (offer notice). This document shows you the Council’s valuation of your home, your discount and the conditions of purchase.

If you are buying a flat we will also include an estimate of service charges you will have to pay during your lease.

If you want to appeal against the valuation, you must do this on a TRB5 form (which we can send you) within 3 months of the Offer Notice being issued.

Step 5 – Your Acceptance

If you want to go ahead with the purchase of your property, you should let us know within 3 months of the issue date of the Offer Notice, by returning the Acceptance Form to us. If you do not do this you will be sent a reminder asking you to respond within 28 days. If you do not respond your application may be cancelled. If you still want to purchase your home, you will have to start the process again by completing the RTB1 form.

Note: If you buy your home, you can sell it at any time – but if you do this within five years of purchase, you will have to pay back a proportion of the discount.

Step 6 – Completing the Purchase

When you return the Acceptance Form, with details of your Solicitor and Mortgage Provider, our Solicitor will contact your Solicitor to make formal arrangements for the date of the sale.