Right to Buy

Can I Buy My House from the Council?

Most tenants of Aberdeenshire Council have the right to buy their house.

The main exceptions to this are:

• tenants of all sheltered houses and other tied tenancies
• all houses adapted for the disabled
• houses with housing support
• all properties provided for persons of pensionable age (including all two apartments fitted with Community Alarm Equipment).

Tenants who had a right to buy prior to 30 September 2002 will retain it on the terms that existed prior to that date so long as they were tenants before and remain in the same house.

Right to Buy from 30th September 2002

Under the Modernised Right to Buy new tenants from 30th September 2002 with a Scottish Secure Tenancy have the right to buy under the following terms:

• Tenants will qualify for discounts only after they have lived in a tenancy of a qualifying landlord for a period of five years.
• Tenants must have five years continuous period of occupation of a house or a succession of houses with a local authority or registered social landlord.
• Discounts will start at a level of 20% and rise annually by 1% per year to a maximum of 35% of the market value of the house.
• Discounts will be capped at a cash level of £15,000.
• All outstanding rent arrears for both current and former tenants and any council tax arrears must be cleared before an application to purchase is accepted.
• Applications will be refused if legal action is being pursued on the grounds of anti-social behaviour.

The rent to mortgage scheme and the duty of the Council to act as a lender of last resort are both abolished.

Further information is available from your local Housing Office.

Please remember that if you apply to buy your house we will limit the amount of repair and improvement work we do.