Council tenants

If you are eligible for the Right to Buy scheme you can get a discount on the price of your home. Usually, the exact discount you get depends on how many years you have been a public sector tenant. You can count time spent in different properties and with different landlords. The time you count does not need to be continuous. 

Further to the recent changes to the Right to Buy discount amount, the basic percentage discount has changed as well: 

• For houses, the discount is 35 percent, going up by 1 percent for every year over and above the five years you have been a public sector tenant (up to a maximum of 60 percent). 
• For flats, the discount is 50 percent, which goes up 2 percent for every year over and above the five years that you have been a public sector tenant (up to a maximum of 70 percent). 

Whether your home is a house or a flat, the current maximum discount is up to £136,400 in London and £102,400 outside of London. 

Following the government's review of Right to Buy discounts the maximum discounts will be reduced as of Thursday 21 November 2024. 

• The maximum discount for London will be £16,000. 
• If your landlord is Waltham Forest Council but your property is in an Essex County your maximum discount will be £34,000. 

Applications for the Right to Buy received before 21 November 2024 from eligible tenants will be eligible for the current maximum discount of £136,400 in London and £102,400 outside of London. 

Applications received on or after 21 November 2024 will only be eligible for the reduced maximum discount of £16,000 in London and £34,000 if your property is in an Essex County. 

Completed applications can be emailed to RTB.Lease@walthamforest.gov.uk. Emailed applications received after midnight on 20 November 2024 will only be eligible for the reduced maximum discounts. 

If you are posting an application, you should make a copy and send it by recorded delivery to: 

Home Ownership Services 
Cedar Wood House 
2d Fulbourne Road 
Walthamstow
E17 4GG 

We will need to receive your posted application by the close of business (no later than 5pm) on 20 November 2024, otherwise, your application will only be eligible for the reduced maximum discount. 

You can hand in your completed application in person by visiting Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, E17 4JF. Don’t forget to get a receipt. This will need to be handed in before 5pm on 20 November 2024, otherwise, your application will only be eligible for the reduced maximum discount. 

1. Complete your application

 If you think you are eligible, you can apply now by completing the Right to Buy application form (PDF file)

Once you have completed and signed the forms, please email them to RTB.Lease@walthamforest.gov.uk

2. We will assess your application

This can take up to 28 days. We will contact you and request supporting documentation and invite you for a Right to Buy interview to discuss your application. You will be notified by email of the decision to either admit or deny your application.

3. Valuation of your home

Once your application to purchase your home has been accepted, the property must then be valued. Our valuation team will phone you with an appointment time and date. You can heck how much your home is likely to cost before applying through the Right to Buy calculator.

4. Landlord’s Offer 

We will issue you with your Landlord’s Offer (Section 125) Notice. This will give you the valuation and the purchase price after taking off the discount. This is a very important document, and you should read it thoroughly and seek advice if you are not clear about any of the contents. You have 12 weeks to accept or decline the Offer.

5. Offer Acceptance

If you accept the Offer, we will require you to provide details of your solicitors, mortgage in principle and complete an Anti-Money Laundering form. We will then pass your application to our Legal team with instructions to proceed with the sale.  

6. Completion

At this stage our Legal Team will send the necessary legal documents to your solicitor for approval. Once the documentation is approved and full mortgage arrangements are in place, your solicitors will agree a completion date with our legal team.

Once you apply for the Right to Buy the Council’s repair team will only carry out emergency repairs to the property for the duration of your application.  

Property prices in Waltham Forest are high. Based on figures provided by Land Registry in December 2022, the average price of a terraced house was £586,452 and the average price of a flat or maisonette was £381,333.

It is important you consider the financial implications and other responsibilities you would have as a homeowner before you decide if buying your home is the right choice for you.

You can find more information on the government's Right to Buy website.

Or you can speak to our Homeownership team for more information.

Call 0208 496 3000 or send an email to RTB.Lease@walthamforest.gov.uk