Right to Acquire

The Right to Acquire is a purchase scheme set up by the Government allowing tenants of housing associations to buy their home.

If you became a tenant with South Lakes Housing after March 2012 and have held a tenancy with any public sector landlord for at least 3 years, you may be eligible for the Right to Acquire. If eligible, you may share your Right to Acquire with other household members providing that they have lived in your home for at least the last 12 months.

Please note that currently this purchase scheme only applies to our properties located in Kendal (including Oxenholme) and Grange-over-Sands. Properties outside of these areas are deemed, by the Government, to be located in Designated Rural Areas (link this to the governments website) and cannot be sold via the Right to Acquire.

Discounts

The Right to Acquire offers a set discount to the market value of the property dependent on its location. For Cumbria (South Lakeland) the current discount can be found at https://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/discounts. This discount is fixed regardless of the number of years a tenancy has been held for.

South Lakes Housing does not keep a list of individual property valuations. Should you apply to buy your home, your home will be valued as a part of the application process.

You may be able to get an idea of the valuation of similar properties in your area by looking at Rightmove and Zoopla.

How to apply

Should you wish to buy your home, you will first need to fill out an application form and send it to South Lakes Housing, Bridge Mills Business Centre, Stramongate, Kendal LA9 4BD. You can find the application form by following the below link. Please include your email address on the application as this make corresponding much quicker.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-acquire-application-form-rta1

Things to consider

 It is important to note that once you begin the application process, South Lakes Housing will not attend to any repairs at your home unless they are deemed an emergency.

Before applying, please carefully consider the financial implications of homeownership and whether this is something that you are able to afford. This will include costs such as mortgage repayments, buildings insurance and general property maintenance.

When purchasing a flat or maisonette, you will become a leaseholder of South Lakes Housing on completion of the purchase. Again, there will be costs to consider such as annual service charges and contributions towards the maintenance of the building. More information on what is means to be a leaseholder can be found here (link to leasehold section of the SLH website)

More information

If you would like to get in touch to discuss your eligibility, please email customerservices@southlakeshousing.co.uk or call 0300 303 8540.

For more information on the Right to Acquire, please head to the Government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/right-to-acquire-buying-housing-association-home