A bill banning the Right to Buy and associated rights has been put to the National Assembly for Wales by the Welsh Government.

The bill will provide for the Right to Buy;

• The Preserved Right to Buy,
• The Right to Acquire for local authority tenants to be abolished one year after Royal Assent,
• The Right to Acquire for registered social landlords to be abolished one year after Royal Assent.

The Welsh Government have explained that the goal is to protect the Welsh stock of social housing from an additional decline, with the aim of creating a safeguard for the people who are unable to take advantage of the housing market (buy or rent), with;

 “safe, secure and affordable housing”.

The Welsh Government have said, were the bill to be passed, it would see ‘Right to Buy’ and ‘Right to Acquire’ end for new homes two months after Royal Assent, with the aim of trying to encourage the development of new social housing.

Carl Sargeant, the Welsh communitys’ secretary, said the following:

“Our social housing is a valuable resource, but it is under considerable pressure. The size of the stock has declined significantly since 1980, when the Right to Buy was introduced. The number of sales is equivalent to 45 per cent of the social housing stock in 1981. This has resulted in people in housing need, many of whom are vulnerable, waiting longer to access a home they can afford.”

The Welsh Government’s broader goals of a more prosperous and fairer Wales is supported by the bill, said Sargeant.

“I recognise the proposal affects existing tenants and we will ensure tenants are made aware of the effect of the bill in good time before abolition takes place. The bill will require the Welsh Government to publish information, which social landlords in turn must provide to every affected tenant, within two months of the bill receiving Royal Assent.” 

Carl Sargeant also had the following to say, referring to other Welsh Government schemes, such as ‘Help to Buy’ and ‘Rent to Own’:

“we are supporting low-cost home ownership and we are expanding the social housing stock”. “Abolishing the Right to Buy will complement these other actions we are taking in order to support people in housing need.”

For more information, call us on 01342 890010 or email info@dev-assist.co.uk