The government has significantly changed Right to Buy in England, reducing discounts and extending the qualifying period. Here is what the changes mean for council tenants and how disrepair rights are unaffected.
On this page
In short
The government made big changes to Right to Buy in England across 2025 and 2026: a longer wait before you can apply, and a smaller maximum discount. The changes affect council tenants planning to buy. They do not touch your right to live in your home, your right to a safe, well-maintained property, or your right to compensation where your landlord failed on repairs.
What Right to Buy is
Right to Buy lets eligible council tenants in England buy their home at a discount below market value. It has run since the 1980s, and around two million households have used it.
The size of the discount depends on:
- How long you have been a secure tenant
- Whether the home is a flat or a house
- The home's market value
Until recently the maximum discount sat high, which made the scheme attractive where property values were modest next to the discount ceiling.
What changed and when
The changes took effect from late 2024 into 2025 and 2026. The main two:
The qualifying period rose from three years to ten. You used to need three years as a secure tenant before applying. Now it is ten. If you have been a tenant for under ten years and were counting on buying soon, the wait just grew a lot.
The maximum discount fell. The caps vary by region, but overall the financial gain from buying under the scheme is smaller than at its peak.
The stated reason: the loss of social housing. Every home sold shrinks the pool available to people on waiting lists, and replacements have long fallen short of sales. The government's position is that the old scheme was draining social housing just as demand hit record levels.
What this means for council tenants who were planning to buy
Planning to apply with fewer than ten years as a tenant? You will not qualify until you reach the ten-year mark.
Counting on a large discount to make the purchase work? Check the current caps for your area before any financial decision. Homes within reach under the old figures may not be any more, depending on local prices.
Take independent advice from a mortgage broker or financial adviser first. The right to buy and the ability to borrow are separate things, and qualifying for the scheme does not mean a lender will offer enough to complete.
Whether Right to Buy is being abolished
No. Tenants who meet the qualifying period and other criteria still have the legal right to apply. The scheme continues; it has simply become less generous. Check whether you qualify before assuming you do not.
Wales abolished Right to Buy, and Scotland ended it too; separate policies apply there.
How disrepair claims interact with Right to Buy
Disrepair and a Right to Buy application are two completely separate legal processes.
A disrepair claim does not block a Right to Buy application. Claiming compensation for failed repairs touches neither your tenancy status nor your right to buy.
A Right to Buy application does not shrink the landlord's duties. Applying to buy is no excuse for delayed maintenance or ignored repairs. The duties under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Defective Premises Act 1972 run right through the process.
The two run independently. You can pursue a compensation claim while your purchase application progresses. Neither outcome decides the other.
Condition feeds the purchase price. Serious disrepair can weigh on the sale valuation. That is separate from any compensation claim.
Your rights as a council tenant regardless of Right to Buy
The changes leave your core rights as a secure council tenant untouched:
- The structure and exterior must be kept in repair under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- The home must be free of health and safety hazards under the HHSRS
- Awaab's Law duties on damp and mould apply where relevant
- You can use the formal complaints procedure, then the Housing Ombudsman if it fails
- You can bring a court disrepair claim where failed repairs caused you loss or damage
None of this depends on how long you have been a tenant, or on whether you ever want to buy.
What to do if your home is in disrepair
If your council home has repairs your landlord has ignored, the Right to Buy changes are not your main story. The nearer legal route is a disrepair claim, or a Housing Ombudsman complaint.
We assess cases free and tell you honestly whether yours supports a claim. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Check if you have a claim, free | Free call: 0800 030 4669
Sources: Government announcement on Right to Buy reform, GOV.UK.
Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 29 May 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
Related on Support for Tenants
Renting with damp, mould or leaks your landlord won't fix?
No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.