Right to Buy Information for Tenants

Who has the Right to Buy

You will usually have the right to buy your home provided that you meet the following conditions:

• Your tenancy is secure
• You have spent sufficient time as a public sector tenant
• The property is your only or principal home.

Public sector tenancy includes any time spent as a tenant of a public sector landlord such as the Royal Borough of Kingston or other local authority, Housing Associations, and certain other public bodies.

You must have been a public sector tenant for at least three years.

Under what circumstances can I lose the Right to Buy?

You will lose the Right to Buy if your tenancy ceases to be secure. This happens under the following circumstances:

• If you stop living in the property as your only or principal home
• If you sub-let the whole of your home
• If you are ordered by the Court to give up possession of your home 
• If you do not comply with the terms of an order made by the Court
• You become bankrupt
• If you are in breach of  a suspended possession order
• Your tenancy becomes demoted as a result of action taken against you in respect of anti-social behaviour.

Exceptions to the Right to Buy

You cannot exercise the Right to Buy under the following circumstances:

• If the property was let in connection with a contract of employment and if the property is within the boundaries of non-housing premises (e.g. a school)
• If your home is sheltered housing for the elderly
• If your home is deemed to be particularly suitable for occupation by the elderly
• If your home is part of a group of properties that is deemed to be:
  • Particularly suitable for people who are physically disabled or
  • Particularly suitable for people suffering from mental disorder
• If the Royal Borough of Kingston intends to demolish your home and serves a final demolition notice. If it serves an initial demolition notice, the Council is not obliged to complete the sale of your home, although you can make an application for right to buy and the sale can complete if the demolition does not actually take place.