Liverpool City Council - right to buy

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Right to Buy / Right to Acquire / Home Ownership

There has been a large rise in the number of people buying their socially rented homes in Liverpool in recent years. Tenants have realised that rising house prices have turned their home into a valuable asset. And this is something which they would prefer to own rather than rent.

Former Council tenants whose homes have transferred to housing associations with Protected Rights - such as the Preserved Right to Buy - may still be able to buy their home in certain cases.

The Home Ownership team is part of our Treasury Management Business Unit and looks after:

  • Right to Buy and Right to Acquire applications;
  • Council loans to householders and housing associations;
  • Leasehold service charge invoicing.        

Contact us: 

If you wish, you can also pay your Council Mortgage or Service Charge online

Preserved Right to Buy

The Council's Home Ownership Unit looks after the Right to Buy for former Council tenants whose homes have transferred to the housing associations:

  • Vicinity Group - Cobalt Housing

  • Riverside Group - Berrybridge, Lee Valley and Community Seven Housing

  • LMH tenants should contact their own landlord directly on 0151 235 2552 / 2555.

You may have the Right to Buy your former council house if, continuously for two years or more prior to 18 January 2005, you have either: 

  • been a secure tenant of the City Council;
  • been a tenant of another public sector landlord (like another council or housing association); or
  • lived in armed forces accommodation.             

For anyone else, you will not have the Right to Buy until you have spent at least five years as a public sector tenant. 

Those living in houses can get a discount of between 32% and 60%.   People living in flats or maisonettes can get a reduction of between 44% to 70%. The highest discount allowed in the North West is a maximum of £26,000.

Certain types of homes may not be eligible for the Right to Buy. These will include temporary accommodation; specialist housing for the elderly, the mentally ill, or disabled; or where your property is provided as part of your employment.

Right to Acquire

This is similar to the Right to Buy Scheme.  Right to Acquire only applies to eligible Housing Association tenants.  Some tenants who have no Right to Buy may be eligible for the Right to Acquire scheme.

The discount available for this area is up 50% of the value of the property, or a maximum of £9,000.

Warning - beware!

Liverpool City Council's Home Ownership Unit provides a FREE Right to Buy administration and advice service.   We do not promote the services of any mortgage broker or lender.   Be wary of any door-to-door sales representatives who may tell you we endorse their company or product.   We do not!

Leaflets relating to Right to Buy, and picture of the Application Form

More information

The following additional information is available for you to download. The links below go to Adobe PDF documents. If you have problems accessing PDFs you can download a PDF viewer, use a PDF conversion tool or find out more about PDF accessibility.

You can find useful advice about the Right to Buy on other websites not connected to the City Council.  Have a look at the government website: Department for Communities and Local Government.

You can also find more information about mortgages from the Financial Services Authority.  If you have an existing mortgage and need advice about payment problems, you can find this at the Directgov website.