The government has confirmed it will press ahead with a fresh wave of reforms to the Right to Buy scheme, aiming to curb the loss of social housing while keeping a pathway open for
long-term tenants to purchase their homes.
Right to Buy, which allows eligible council tenants in England to purchase their properties at a discount, has long been a cornerstone of housing policy. But ministers say the system now needs rebalancing after years of dwindling council housing supply.
Under the latest proposals, tenants will need to wait significantly longer before qualifying. The minimum eligibility period is set to rise from three years to ten, a move designed to prioritise more established tenants and slow the pace of sales.
Discounts will also be scaled back. Instead of starting at higher levels, they will begin at 5% of a property’s value and gradually increase by 1% each year, capped at 15% or a fixed cash limit—whichever is lower.
In a further effort to protect new housing stock, newly built social homes will be exempt from Right to Buy for 35 years. This marks a substantial extension aimed at ensuring fresh supply is not quickly lost to private ownership.
The government is also reviewing additional safeguards, including stronger anti-fraud measures to prevent vulnerable tenants from being pressured into purchasing homes. Separate considerations are being made for how the scheme operates in rural communities, where housing shortages are often more acute.
These changes build on earlier reforms introduced last year. Ministers reduced maximum cash discounts to between £16,000 and £38,000 depending on location, while allowing councils to retain 100% of proceeds from property sales. Local authorities can now reinvest those funds, alongside government grants, into building or acquiring new homes.
Protections for public investment have also been strengthened. The “cost floor” rule—ensuring homes are not sold for less than the amount spent on them—has been extended from 15 to 30 years. Further adjustments to this mechanism are under consideration.
The government said the new measures will be introduced when parliamentary time permits, signalling more changes ahead for one of the UK’s most debated housing policies.
