Council Home Buy-Back and Property Acquisition Schemes

From time to time, West Northamptonshire Council may buy residential properties to support local housing needs. This can include former council homes and properties available on the open market.

The Council generally only purchases homes and does not normally buy commercial properties through these schemes.

The types of properties the Council is looking for may vary depending on the acquisition programme in operation at the time. Properties will need to meet specific criteria, which may include factors such as location, size, condition, tenure, and value for money.

For flats and maisonettes, the Council does not currently purchase individual units unless West Northamptonshire Council is the freeholder of the building.

Please note that submitting details of a property does not mean the Council will make an offer to purchase it.

For more information or to offer your property to the Council, please contact:

Housing Strategy Team

Email: [email protected]

Selling your Right to Buy home

If you own an ex-Council property that was purchased through the Right to Buy scheme, and you want to sell it within 10 years of buying it, you must first give West Northamptonshire Council the opportunity to purchase the property.

This is known as the Right of First Refusal.

The Council has the opportunity to buy the property at its current market value, less any Right to Buy discount that may need to be repaid.

Before you sell

You must send the Council a Written Notice of Intention to Sell.
To request a Notice of Intention to Sell form, please contact the Housing Strategy Team by email at [email protected].

Once we receive your completed Notice, we have 8 weeks to decide whether we wish to purchase the property.

If we do not agree to buy the property within that period, you can sell it on the open market for up to 12 months from the date of our decision.
Please only submit a notice when you are ready to proceed with the sale.

Repaying your Right to Buy discount

If you sell your property within 5 years of buying it under Right to Buy, you may have to repay some or all of the discount you received.

The amount repayable depends on how long you have owned the property:

Within year 1 – 100% of the discount
Within year 2 – 80% of the discount
Within year 3 – 60% of the discount
Within year 4 – 40% of the discount
Within year 5 – 20% of the discount

The repayment amount is based on the property's market value at the time of sale.

Example:

You bought your home valued at £100,000 and received a 40% discount (£40,000).

You then sell the property after 18 months for £120,000.

40% of £120,000 = £48,000
As the sale takes place in year 2, 80% is repayable
80% of £48,000 = £38,400

You would therefore repay £38,400.

Property valuation

If the Council is interested in purchasing a property, we will arrange an independent valuation to determine its market value.

If you disagree with the valuation, either party can ask the District Valuer to determine the market value. There is no charge to you for this service.

How we decide whether to buy a property

The Council is not required to purchase every property offered to it.
We may consider buying a property where:

it will be vacant on completion
it helps meet local housing needs and strategic priorities
there is demand for the accommodation
it represents good value for money

All purchases are subject to available funding and Council approval.

Who can make an offer to the Council

The owner of the property must make the offer.
If the owner has died, the offer must be made by the Executor or Personal Representative of the estate. Evidence such as a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will be required.

Exemptions to the Right of First Refusal

You do not need to offer the property back to the Council in certain circumstances, including:

transferring ownership to another joint owner
transferring ownership to a spouse or former spouse
transferring ownership to a family member who has lived with you for at least 12 months
passing the property on through a will or intestacy
transfers required by certain court orders
compulsory purchase of the property

Last updated 17 September 2026