Summary

Council tenants have the Right to Buy their flat or house if they have been a secure tenant of the City Council, or another public sector landlord (like another council or housing association; or lived in armed forces accommodation) continuously for two years or more prior to 18 January 2005.

Housing

Anyone who becomes a new Council tenant on or after 18th January 2005 will not now qualify for the Right to Buy until they have had at least 5 Years public sector tenancy.

You cannot buy the property if:

• You live in sheltered housing for the elderly, the disabled or mentally handicapped.
• You live in a property that is particularly suitable for the elderly and was let to be lived in by someone aged 60 or more.
• You work for Exeter City Council and your home is part of your conditions of service (this only applies in some cases).
• You are an introductory tenant

You can buy the property with anyone in your family who is a joint tenant. You can buy the property with up to 3 members of your family who are not joint tenants if the property is their main home. Anyone (except your husband or wife) who is buying the property must have lived with you for 12 months before you apply to buy.

The Right to Buy scheme gives tenants a discount on the market value of their homes. The longer you have been a tenant, the more discount you get, up to a maximum limit of £75,000.

When you make a Right to Buy application any outstanding repairs or further request for repairs to your home will be suspended. This is to ensure that the valuation remains consistent throughout the process of the Right to buy. Only urgent repairs will be carried out.

Tenants of houses and bungalows can purchase their property freehold whereas those in flats can purchase a 125 year lease. If you want to buy your flat or maisonette, you will be buying the leasehold from the Council. As a leaseholder you have to pay the landlord a nominal rent (known as a ground rent).  The Council will also make an annual service charge for:

• communal repairs
• communal maintenance
• cleaning of communal areas and the estate
• ground rent
• communal lighting charge
• management charge
• heating charge (if property is served by a communal boiler)

The Council maintains an on-going relationship with leaseholders, looking after communal areas, structural repairs and improvements to flats.

Remember if you decide to purchase your house or flat you will have to pay for the following fees:

• solicitors fees
• land search fees
• land registry fees
• stamp duty
• conveyancing fees
• structural survey fee

The Council can be expected to:

• Deal with all enquiries and applications within the time limits set by the government
• Re-invest the money raised from sales to benefit the residents of Exeter
• Charge and collect a service charge to leaseholders for regular maintenance work
• Collect from each leaseholder a contribution towards improvements carried out in their block of flats
• Give estimates for work to leaseholders