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Association Right to Buy sales up 18%

Right to Buy sales by housing associations rose 18% last year as the voluntary pilot got under way, with the most homes sold out of the sector since 2007.

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The start of Voluntary Right to Buy sees an 18% rise in social housing sales

More homes sold out of the sector in 2016/17 than in any year since 2006/07

New figures show highest numbers of social housing sales in 10 years

Figures released today by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) revealed that in a year which included a minor pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy, 4,694 social homes were sold under Right to Buy, up from 3,977 in the previous year, an 18% increase.

Previously, housing associations were only subject to Right to Buy on some stock transferred from local authorities, but a pilot this year of a landmark government proposal to extend the Right to Buy to association tenants saw 972 tenants purchase homes.

Overall, 23,186 social homes were sold in 2016/17, which contributed in part towards explaining why the net figure for new social housing was so low last year.


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The National Housing Federation said that according to its estimates, 400 of last year’s sales were done under the Voluntary Right to Buy pilot. Philip Hammond confirmed in yesterday’s Autumn Budget that the government would commit £200m to a full regional pilot of the scheme.

Total sales of social housing by housing associations in 2016/17 rose only slightly, as a reduction in other sales to tenants and in sales to the private sector mitigated the impact of the increased Right to Buy sales.

Local authorities, meanwhile, saw their Right to Buy sales continue to rise. In 2016/17, 13,416 social homes were sold by local authorities under Right to Buy, the highest figure since 2006/07.

Demolitions of social housing stock, however, were at their lowest level on record, with 5,420 social homes demolished in 2016/17, down from 6,660 in the previous year.

Gavin Smart, deputy chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), said: “Social rent is the only truly affordable option for many people on lower incomes.

“These figures emphasise just how much further we need to go to make sure we have enough social rented homes available – today’s statistics show that 23,186 social homes were sold in 2016/17, while figures released earlier this month revealed that the number of new social rented homes delivered dropped to 5,380, down from 39,560 in 2010/11.”

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