The right of council and housing association tenants to buy or acquire their home ended on 26 January, 2019.
Other Ways to Buy a Home
Other means of assistance to help you buy a home may be available. Talk to your landlord or visit the Welsh Government’s website for further information.
Financial and Legal Advice
Buying a home is a big commitment. Home ownership has costs as well as benefits. The costs include: the price of the home (minus the appropriate discount), legal costs, survey fees, and possibly some taxes, for example Land Transaction Tax. After buying, there will be monthly payments for council tax, water rates, energy bills, and a mortgage (if you have one). There will also be other on-going costs, which are currently included in your rent, for example repairs, maintenance and buildings insurance. As the homeowner, you will have to pay for these. Remember, too, mortgage interest rates could increase at some point and your home may be repossessed if you are unable to keep up your mortgage repayments.
It is important to get professional advice, for example on financial matters, about whether your individual circumstances are suited to purchasing your home, and to consider all the costs involved and the choices available.
You should also consider taking legal advice to help with the legal process of buying a home. Organisations such as your local Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to explain how best to go about it. Professional, independent advice is particularly important if you have been approached by someone offering to help you buy your home (perhaps in exchange for handing over ownership of the home to them at a later date) or offering advice in return for a fee. It’s likely that they will charge you for their services, and they may be offering a deal which is better for them than it is for you.
As a minimum, always check first if there are any costs or conditions involved and talk to your landlord before signing up to any deal. The Money Advice Service is a free, impartial service to help people make informed choices about managing their money.
You can get useful information from their website or by telephoning 0300 500 5000.