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Preserved Right to buy Information

If you were a secure tenant of your property on 30th October 2006 (One Vision Housing launch day) you will most likely qualify for the Preserved Right to Buy.

The Preserved Right to Buy Scheme allows secure tenants of Sefton Council on 30th October 2006, now One Vision Housing, to enjoy the same discount and privileges as the Right to Buy Scheme which operated under Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. It also allows those tenants to have one transfer to another property managed by One Vision Housing, and still retain the same rights.

Discount Entitlement & Discount Repayment Criteria

The maximum discount entitlement for the North-West of England remains at £26,000. Please note there can be no appeal against this amount, regardless of how long you have been a tenant. Your discount entitlement depends on what time you have spent as a public sector tenant. This includes time spent with Sefton Council, Housing Associations, Armed Forces and certain other public sector bodies. Your RTB1 (application form) will list all relevant public sector organisations.

Any Preserved Right to Buy Application made after 18th January 2005 will require the seller to repay the discount they received over 5 years, not 3 years as was the previous requirements.

Also if the property is to be resold within the first 10 years of purchase, One Vision Housing must be given the Right of First Refusal to re-purchase the property back from you. Both of the above conditions will be enclosed in the Deeds of Sale of the property and also noted with HM Land Registry.

Repayment Fractions

If sold within the first year of purchase the whole discount will have to be repaid
Four fifths (4/5) must be repaid if sold in the second year
Three fifths (3/5) must be repaid if sold in the third year
Two fifths (2/5) must be repaid if sold in the fourth year
One fifth (1/5) must be repaid if sold in the fifth year

In addition the amount of discount to be repaid will be a percentage of the resale value of the property (disregarding the value of any improvements).

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for the Preserved Right to Buy, the following conditions must be met:

A secure tenant of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council on 30th October 2006.
You must have spent at least 2 years as a public sector tenant if your tenancy started before 18th January 2005.
If you tenancy started after 18th January 2005, you will need at least 5 years as a public sector tenant
You must be a Protected Assured Tenant of One Vision Housing. If you are on an Introductory, Assured Short hold or Service Tenancy, your application will be refused.
You may be able to exercise your Preserved Right to Buy with other members of your family who have lived with you for at least 12 months and are registered with One Vision Housing as living in your property.
We will require proof of residency
You may be refused the Preserved Right to Buy if your property is classed as Sheltered Accommodation or it is particularly suitable and has custom design features for occupation by elderly/sick or disabled persons. This will include the services of an on-site or locality based Warden, a lifeline telephone and access to a communal lounge/area.
If you have been to Court over rent arrears, and the Judge has issued a Suspended or Postponed Possession Order, your application may be cancelled. One Vision Housing Legal Services Section will advise on all Court rulings if the tenant has an on-going Preserved Right to Buy application with One Vision Housing.
If you are refused the Preserved Right to Buy, or the Right to Acquire, you may appeal to the Department of Communities & Local Government (DCLG). This must be done in writing within 56 days of being refused by One Vision Housing.

Freehold and Leasehold purchases

If you purchase a house under the Preserved Right to Buy Scheme, you will be purchasing the FREEHOLD of the property. This means you will buy the structure of the property and the garden areas around your house and you will be solely responsible for any repairs and maintenance to this area.

If you purchase a flat under the Preserved Right to Buy Scheme, you will be purchasing the LEASEHOLD of the property. This will mean that One Vision Housing will retain an interest in the property and you will be liable for annual service charge payments for the duration of the lease. Please refer to the leaseholder living section of this website for further details.

Further Information

The DCLG (Department of Communities & Local Government) Website contains the most comprehensive information on all home ownership schemes operated by Local authorities and Residential Social Landlords.

There are a number of websites which you can use to give you an idea of how much properties are being sold for in your area, an example of such a website is upmystreet.

This site can give you an early indication of what your property may be valued at but please note the valuation provided by our independent valuation office may differ, you are allowed to challenge the valuation provided via the District Valuation Office whose ruling will be final.

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