FOI request (FOIR-472788328)

Right to Buy properties

Requested Mon 19 December 2022
Responded Thu 12 January 2023

I am trying to build a picture of the UK's housing market. For one aspect of this, I want to understand more about the UK's 'Right to Buy' properties since the 1980s.

I understand that each council holds a list of council properties that were transferred to private ownership under the 'Right to Buy' scheme.

These transfers are documented with a specific 'Right to Buy transfer form'. This transfer form may help your office to identify the relevant 'Right to Buy' properties within your council area if you do not already hold this information.

I understand that each council will have different time periods.

I believe that each council has already, or regularly provides this information to Parliament, from which parliament publishes a national figure on the number of ex 'Right to Buy' properties since the 1980s.

I believe that you can easily compare your list of 'Right to Buy' transfers with your HMO licence list since both pieces of information are held within your remit, and both lists contain the address of the property.

Please search within your records to identify all the council properties that have ever been transferred under the 'Right to Buy' scheme, in whatever time period you hold records for.

1. Please provide:

a. The total number of properties that have been transferred to private ownership under the 'Right to Buy Scheme'.

b. The time scale of your search (for example, 1982-2022). I am aware that some councils will have older records than others.

2. Please compare this list with your HMO licence register. You can pivot the information on the address field, or potentially title number. Please provide:

a. The number of properties that appear on both lists.

Response

1a. 1

1b. From 1996 (the date of LSVT) to today

2a. Hastings Borough Council does not hold this information (but, as the one property was a flat, it would not be on the HMO list)