Housing association tenants to be offered 'significant discounts' to buy their homes
|
Version 0 of 1. New measures extending the right to buy homes from housing associations will be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday. It will offer England’s 1.3m housing association tenants the chance to benefit from the same opportunities council tenants enjoyed with “significant discounts to buy their homes”. Receipts from selling an owner's current property will help build replacement affordable homes on a one-for-one basis. Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Schemes like Help to Buy are helping thousands of people who want to buy their own home – but we need to go further. Anyone who works hard and wants to get on the property ladder should have the opportunity to do so.” The speech will also promise help to first-time buyers by delivering 200,000 Starter Homes, available at a 20 per cent discount to first-time buyers under 40. Other proposals include the right to land with self-build planning permission or hire a builder. Councils will also be forced to sell their most expensive housing when it falls vacant – with the receipts used to provide new affordable homes in the same area. Remaining funds will be invested in a new Brownfield Regeneration Fund to increase the supply of new housing. The Government has also announced plans to deliver 200,000 new Starter Homes across the country. These new homes will be sold with a 20 per cent discount to first-time buyers under 40, with the Housing Bill paving the way to ensure this process can be completed quickly. |