Right to Acquire

Check both your tenancy and the property

The current GOV.UK guide says applicants need at least three years with a public-sector landlord. The home must be self-contained and your only or main home, and your landlord must be registered with the Regulator of Social Housing.

The property must also meet specific criteria: it must have been built or bought by a housing association after 31 March 1997 using qualifying social-housing grant funding, or transferred from a council to a housing association after that date. Ask your landlord to check the records.

• A housing association tenancy on its own does not establish eligibility.
• Council tenants and people with Preserved Right to Buy do not use this route.
• Bankruptcy or a court order requiring you to leave can prevent eligibility.

Understand what the discount means

The published Right to Acquire discount range is £9,000 to £16,000, depending on location. Your landlord confirms the amount. Previous use of Right to Buy or Right to Acquire may reduce it.

Right to Acquire has separate eligibility and discounts from Right to Buy. Use your landlord’s formal offer for the proposed price; discounts for another scheme or area may not apply.

A mortgage review brings that price together with your income, commitments, savings and the property details. Ask how the chosen lender would treat the discount and what cash would still be needed for the purchase and associated fees. Approval remains subject to the lender’s assessment.

Make room for the costs of ownership

The landlord’s offer sets out the price, discount, property and known structural problems. For flats or maisonettes it includes estimated service charges for the first five years. Ask your solicitor to review the lease, service-charge information and any planned works.

Budget for the mortgage payment, repairs, insurance and continuing charges, alongside legal, survey and mortgage-related costs. Allow for uncertain costs rather than treating the discounted price as the whole cost of buying.

If you believe the market valuation is too high, the official process allows you to request an independent district valuation within three months of the offer. You can withdraw from the purchase and continue renting.

Plan for a later move or sale

Under the current Right to Acquire resale rules, selling within five years means repaying some or all of the discount. The amount is linked to the value when you sell and how long you have owned the home.

If you sell within ten years, you must first offer the property to your former landlord at an agreed market price. If the landlord does not agree to buy within eight weeks, the guide says you may sell to someone else.

Talk through any likely move or change in household before proceeding. Ask your solicitor how the sale conditions and lease would affect your plans, and check the latest official guidance when applying.

The next steps

1. Ask the landlord

   Confirm the tenancy, landlord and property qualify, and whether Right to Acquire or a different route applies.

2. Apply and read the offer

   Submit RTA1 to your landlord. Check the offered price, discount, property description, charges and any deadlines when the offer arrives.

3. Review the purchase

   Bring the offer to your mortgage adviser and solicitor. Review the borrowing and ownership costs before deciding to proceed.

What to prepare

Tick the points you have covered before a conversation. These are preparation notes; ticking them does not confirm eligibility.

• Your tenancy dates and confirmation of the property’s eligibility.
• The formal offer, discount and valuation, when available.
• Income, spending, credit commitments and savings details.
• Lease, service-charge and planned-works information.

Official guidance

Checked 30 October 2026. Availability, rules and lender criteria can change. Follow the official guidance and confirm the position before committing.

• GOV.UK — Right to Acquire eligibility
• GOV.UK — Right to Acquire discounts
• GOV.UK — applying using RTA1
• GOV.UK — the landlord’s offer and valuation
• GOV.UK — resale and discount repayment
• GOV.UK — Shared Ownership overview
• Welsh Government — Right to Buy and Right to Acquire abolition