Buying The Home You Rent

You may have the right to buy your home, if you were formerly a tenant of Congleton Borough Council before it was transferred to Dane Housing and have remained a tenant of Dane Housing since then. If you became a tenant of Dane Housing from March 1998 then you may have the Right to Acquire your home (see below). Please note that if you transferred in to your current home from March 1998 but you transferred there from another Dane Housing property and your tenancy commenced before March 1998 you still have the right to buy as opposed to the right to acquire.


What is the “Right to Buy”.

The “Right to Buy” means that you can purchase your home from Dane Housing by paying the full purchase price at once. You can fund the purchase price of your home from Dane Housing either with cash or by taking out a loan on your property in the form of a mortgage, or by a combination of the two. You can usually buy your home for less than the open market value because you will receive a discount. If you live in a house the discount you will get will be between 32% and 60%, to a maximum cash value of £26,000. If you live in a flat your discount will be between 44% and 70%, again to a maximum value of £26,000. The amount of discount you get depends upon your qualifying period i.e. the amount of time you have spent, in total; as a public sector tenant or in accommodation provided by the armed forces.


Exceptions to the Right to Buy

You cannot buy your home from Dane Housing if :

  • You are a tenant in one of our sheltered (retirement) homes or in one of our special needs homes.
  • You are in temporary accommodation that is due to be re-developed
  • You are an employee of Dane Housing.
  • Dane Housing has rented your property from another landlord and has then let it out to you.
  • You are an un-discharged bankrupt or you have lost security of tenure e.g. you are the subject of a possession order granted by the Court.

 

How do I buy my home?

Right to Buy Application Forms can be downloaded from www.direct.gov.uk. Type in RTB1 in the "search” section at the top right hand corner of the Directgov web page and follow the links to Form RTB1 which must be downloaded and then completed in writing and then and sent to Dane Housing for processing. Alternatively the Claim Form can be obtained from Adrian Orr at Dane Housing (telephone number 01260 281037). Adrian will also supply you with a booklet entitled “Your right to buy your home”. The booklet contains a great deal of general information on the right to buy process and also contains a detailed step-by-step guide to the process of buying your home. This booklet is also available to view at the Communities and Local Government web site.

 

The Right to Acquire

If you became a tenant in your home from March 1998 then you have the right to acquire your property.

What is the “Right to Acquire”?

The “Right to Acquire” means that you have the legal right to buy the home that you currently rent from Dane Housing, by paying the full purchase price at once. As in the case of the right to buy, you can fund the purchase of your home whether with cash or by taking out a loan on your property in the form of a mortgage, or by a combination of the two. You can buy your home at less than the open market value because you will get a discount. This amount of discount is determined by the Government and is currently fixed for this area at £10,000. This highlights the main difference between the right to buy scheme and the right to acquire scheme. The amount of discount received under the right to buy scheme varies according to the length of time you have been a public sector tenant whereas the amount of discount given under the right to acquire is fixed at £10,000 irrespective of the length of your tenancy.

 

Who Qualifies for the Right to Acquire?

To qualify for the Right to Acquire you must :

  • Have spent two years (five years if you became a tenant from January 2005) as a public sector tenant or in accommodation provided for the armed forces).
  • Live in a house or flat which is a self contained property as a tenant of Dane Housing and is your only or main home.


Exceptions to the Right to Acquire : 

  • You are a tenant in one of our sheltered (retirement) homes, or in one of our special needs homes.
  • You are a tenant in a property in certain rural areas containing settlements where the population is 3,000 or fewer.
  • You are an un-discharged bankrupt or you have lost security of tenure e.g. you are the subject of a possession order granted by the Court.
  • You are an employee of Dane Housing.
  • Dane Housing has rented your property from another landlord and has then let it out to you.

 

How do I apply?

You need to complete an application form (RTA1) to claim your right to acquire. Please contact Adrian Orr on 01260 281037 who will supply you with this form. Adrian can also supply you with the booklet entitled “Guide to the Right to Acquire”, this booklet contains a great deal of general information on the right to acquire and also contains a detailed step-by-step guide to the process of buying your home. Alternatively Right to Acquire Application Forms and the above booklet can be downloaded from www.housingcorp.gov.uk by typing Right to Acquire in the "search" section and following the links to form RTA1 which must be downloaded and completed in writing and then sent to Dane Housing for processing.   
 

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