How much Right to Buy discount can I get?

Short answer

35% on a house after three years, rising 1% a year to a 70% maximum; 50% on a flat, rising 2% a year to the same 70% ceiling. Since 21 November 2024 the cash cap is regional and far lower than it used to be — £16,000 in London — and the cost floor rule can cut the discount further.

Right to Buy lets most council tenants in England purchase their home at a discount once they have three years of public sector tenancy behind them — the years need not all be with the same landlord.

How the discount builds

Houses: 35% after three years, plus 1% for each further year, up to 70%.
Flats: 50% after three years, plus 2% for each further year, up to 70%.

Two limits then apply. The monetary cap is an absolute ceiling on the discount, and since 21 November 2024 it has been set regionally rather than as a single London/non-London pair. In London it is £16,000; in the North East £22,000; in the South East £38,000, with local exceptions in both directions. The much larger figures still widely quoted — including on some council websites — apply only to applications made before that date. The cost floor rule prevents the discount reducing the price below what the landlord has spent on building, buying, repairing or maintaining the property in the last 15 years, which frequently bites on recently refurbished homes.

Your actual figure depends on the landlord’s market valuation, which you can challenge through the district valuer if you think it is too high.

Strings attached

Selling within five years means repaying discount on a sliding scale: 100% in year one, then 80%, 60%, 40% and 20%. After five years there is nothing to repay.
For ten years, the landlord has a right of first refusal — you must offer the property back at market value before selling on the open market.
Most lenders accept the discount as your deposit, which is what makes the scheme workable for people who could not otherwise buy. You still have to pass affordability checks, and you take on repairs, buildings insurance and any service charge as an owner.

Housing association tenants

The equivalent is Right to Acquire, again after three years, but with far smaller discounts of roughly £9,000 to £16,000 depending on location. If your home transferred from a council to a housing association while you were already the tenant, check whether you hold the Preserved Right to Buy, which keeps the larger discounts.

Read the full guide: Right to Buy and Right to AcquireCovers eligibility, the process, deadlines, and next steps in depth.

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