The Right to Buy scheme applies to most of the flats and houses that are owned by Halton Housing Trust who transferred from Halton Borough Council in December 2005. There are some properties that are exempt from the Right to Buy scheme, for example those designated as elderly persons' dwellings and sheltered housing (suitable for occupation by the elderly).

To buy a Trust home, a customer must:

• be a tenant;
• if you held a tenancy before the 18th January 2005 you have the right to buy after you have held the tenancy  for two years.
• if you became a tenant after the 18th January 2005 you must have a minimum of five years tenancy  - an introductory tenancy is a non-secure tenancy.
• not be subject to a court order for possession which says they must leave their home.
• not be an un-discharged bankrupt.

A customer may share the Right to Buy with members of their family who are over the age of 18 and who have lived with the customer at the property for the past 12 months.

How the scheme works

When a customer makes a Right to Buy enquiry, they receive a RTB1 form, a bankruptcy form and booklet. The form asks for the following details:

• name,
• the address of the property to be bought,
• any family members to be included,
• any previous addresses to be taken into account for discount calculation,
• any improvements made to the property.

This form and a full explanatory leaflet are available from any of our Area Housing Office or telephone Commercial Services on 0151 510 5000. You can also obtain a download of the Government's Right to Buy Leaflet.

In order to start the process, the RTB 1 and a declaration form has to be completed and returned to Commercial Services Manager, Daresbury Point, Green Wood Drive, Manor Park, Runcorn, WA7 1UG. After initial checks are carried out on the property to be purchased, the Trust’s appointed valuer will arrange an inspection in order to assess its open market value.

An offer is then made based on the open market value less any discount that you are entitled to.

You then have 12 weeks to decide whether to proceed, cancel or appeal against the valuation. You should note that during the time that a Right to Buy is registered, only emergency repairs will be carried out.

The Trust can serve a first notice for you to complete within 3 months from the offer date.

The Discount Rules

The Right to Buy scheme gives you a discount on the market value of your home. The longer you have  held a tenancy the more discount you will get, up to a maximum limit that varies depending on where you live: this is £26,000 in the North West (with the exception of the Right to Acquire).