Right-to-Buy vs Right-to-Acquire vs Shared Ownership vs Help-to-Buy

Four routes can help first-time buyers and existing social tenants into home ownership. Each has different eligibility, discounts, and consequences for resale.

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Feature	Right to Buy	Right to Acquire	Shared Ownership	Help to Buy
Who is eligible	Secure council tenants of 3+ years	Housing association tenants of 3+ years (post-1997 properties)	Anyone earning under £80,000 (£90k London), first-time buyers prioritised	First-time buyers (closed to new applications 2023)
How it works	Buy at discount from council	Buy at discount from housing association	Buy 25-75% share + pay rent on rest	Government equity loan up to 20% (40% in London)
Maximum discount	£102,400 outside London; £136,400 London (2025-26)	Up to £16,000	No discount — pay only for the share owned	Up to 20%/40% equity loan
Resale restrictions	10 years pre-emption right; clawback of discount if sold within 5 years	5-year pre-emption + clawback	Staircasing rules; first refusal to HA	Repay equity loan on sale
Mortgage required
Status	In force (England) — being reformed	In force	In force	Closed to new applications since 31 March 2023
Eligible property types	Council houses and flats (some restrictions)	Properties built/acquired after 1997	New-build (mostly) but also resale	New-build under £600k

Right to Buy discounts were reduced in November 2024 (Discount cap from £102k+ down to a lower regional formula in some areas). Always check current regulations. Shared Ownership leases are leasehold — service charge and lease length matter.

Related guides

Right to Buy and Right to Acquire

The Right to Buy scheme gives most council tenants in England the legal right to purchase their home at a significant discount. A separate but similar scheme — Right to Acquire — applies to some housing association tenants. Both schemes have been in place for decades and have enabled millions of social tenants to become homeowners, but they come with important conditions and restrictions that buyers need to understand before applying.

7 min

Shared Ownership

Shared ownership is a government-backed scheme that helps people buy a home they could not otherwise afford by purchasing a share of the property (initially between 10% and 75%) and paying rent on the remaining share to a housing association. Over time, buyers can increase their ownership share — a process called staircasing — until they own the property outright. The scheme has been significantly reformed since 2021, with important improvements for buyers.

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Mortgage Arrears and the Pre-Action Protocol

Falling behind on mortgage payments is frightening, but lenders are required to follow strict procedures before they can repossess your home. The Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims based on Mortgage or Home Purchase Plan Arrears means that courts will expect both you and your lender to take reasonable steps to resolve arrears before a possession order is made. Acting early and engaging with your lender greatly improves your chances of keeping your home.

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Disclaimer

The information on this page was correct at the time of writing. Amounts, thresholds, and rules may change. Always check the latest official guidance.