Applying for Right to Buy

How to apply

If you want to apply for Right to Buy, you will need to complete these forms: 

1. Application Form
2. Additional Information Form
3. Property Questionnaire

 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are currently unable to carry out face to face meetings with applicants. Please send all three forms, together with:

• a photo ID
• a recent proof of address
• documentary proof of how you intend to finance the purchase

to the Councils' offices:

FAO: Home Ownership Team

Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils

Endeavour House

8 Russell Road

Ipswich

IP1 2BX

 

All three forms need to be returned to the Council for us to progress your Right to Buy application.

Please note that your application will not be accepted unless we receive all three forms, together with supporting documents. Examples of supporting documents include a photo ID, proof of address and proof of where the money to purchase the property comes from.

The application process

Your application will be dealt with in the timescales set out by the Government. The process is set out below:

Application forms received

We need to receive your three application forms, together with all supporting documents.

We will send an Admittance/Denial Notice to you within four weeks (eight weeks if you have previously been a tenant of another landlord).

This can only be sent when we have all three application forms and supporting documents. If further enquiries or evidence is needed, this may delay things. 

If we do not receive all three completed forms and supporting documents, your application is incomplete. We will deny/withdraw your application.

Offer notice

If your want to continue with your application, we will contact you to arrange an inspection. This will be so that we can value your home. 

We then have eight weeks if your property is a house, or twelve weeks if your property is a flat, to send you a document called a Section 125 offer notice. This tells you the price of the property and the discount you are entitled to.

If your property is a flat, the notice will also contain a breakdown of proposed service charges and maintenance costs that you will have to pay. 

You will also get a structural defects sheet that will tell you of any issues that were found at the time of our inspection. Please note that we do not carry out a survey of your home - you will have to arrange this yourself.

Stating your intentions

Once you have received your offer notice, you have 12 weeks to tell us if you wish to buy your home or not. 

If you want to buy, you will need to return your Notice of Intention paperwork, giving us details of your solicitors.

We will ask you to confirm how you are funding the purchase. If you are applying for a mortgage, we will need to see the mortgage offer from the mortgage company.

If you do not want to go ahead with buying your home. you will need to return the withdrawal notice paperwork.

If you do not reply

If we do not receive a response from you within the 12 weeks, then you will be issued with a 28 day notice asking you to return your notice of intention or withdrawal paperwork. 

If you do not reply within the 28 days, then your application will be withdrawn and cancelled.

Your intention to proceed

When you return your notice of intention to proceed, we will visit your property to draw a plan for the conveyance document. 

Your application will then be passed to our legal team, who will then be dealing with your purchase directly with your solicitor.