The report provides the background to the Right to Buy and the changes which have taken place since its inception. It explores the extent to which the right has been exercised by tenants and the types of household which have tended to buy. It discusses the impact of purchasing on those who have chosen to buy and considers the impact the Right to Buy has had on housing availability, neighbourhoods and the condition of housing stock. It also looks at the effect of the mechanism for designating 'pressured' areas and preserving them from the Right to Buy, introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.

The research is a requirement of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and was undertaken to investigate the effects of the Right to Buy and in particular two aspects:

In addition to reviewing the literature on the Right to Buy and the relevant legislation, qualitative research was commissioned to gain the views of the owners of former social rented properties and statistical data was analysed.

The effects of the Right to Buy have been far-reaching and have led to a culture shift in families from a culture of renting to a culture of owner-occupation. Buyers and tenants recognise the impact that the Right to Buy can have in reducing opportunities for future tenants. Discounts continue to provide significant benefits for tenants, although future sales under modernised terms will lessen these benefits.

The Right to Buy has had mixed effects on communities – in some, concentrations of deprivation have increased, in others levels of owner-occupation have been beneficial in creating stability. Tenants in social rented housing today are more likely to be elderly, single parents or long-term sick, as well as having a greater likelihood of being economically inactive, and the Right to Buy has contributed in part towards this change. Resales of Right to Buy properties widen choice at the lower end of the housing market.

Scottish Executive
Phone: +44 131 556 8400
housing.information@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

01/09/2006

Scottish Executive

research

Urban Policy > Housing

Housing policy