Just 10 Homes Sold Through Voluntary Right To Buy Pilot Using Portability

Only 10 housing association tenants living in a home exempt from the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) scheme have been able to become homeowners through the pilot since it launched a year ago. Figures released by Homes England under the Freedom of Information Act show that of the 529 sales completed through the Midlands VRTB pilot, less than 2% involved “portability”. Portability refers to the ability of tenants to use their VRTB discount – equivalent to the Right to Buy markdowns available to council tenants – on a housing association home they do not currently live in. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/just-10-homes-sold-through-vrtb-pilot-using-portability-63613?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands – Parliamentary Written Answer

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the response of Homes England to freedom of information request reference RFI2673, whether his Department plans to reopen the ballot for the Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands Pilot for Housing Association tenants as a result of the low take-up in that ballot.

Kit Malthouse: There are no plans to run a second ballot – if this position changes, the Government will make an announcement

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-18/266137

MHCLG Considers Second Right To Buy Pilot Ballot After Low Take-Up

The government is mulling a second ballot of the Right to Buy pilot for housing associations in the Midlands following unexpectedly low take-up.  Sources said the idea has been discussed by the working group for the pilot, which includes representatives from participating housing associations, the National Housing Federation and the Ministers expected 3,000 sales to be funded through the £200m pilot. But demand from the 6,000 tenants who were successfully awarded a unique reference number (URN) in a one-month ballot last summer has been low, with many failing to contact their housing association about buying their home at a discount within the required timeframe. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/mhclg-considers-second-right-to-buy-pilot-ballot-after-low-take-up-61153?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Government Expects 3,000 Right To Buy Sales In Midlands Pilot

Ministers expect around 3,000 housing association homes to be sold through the Midlands Voluntary Right to Buy pilot. A regional trial of the policy to allow tenants to purchase their homes at a discount equivalent to that available to council tenants was launched earlier this month. The Treasury has provided £200m to cover the discounts, which will average £66,667 if 3,000 homes are sold. Right to Buy discounts are calculated based on how long the purchaser has been a tenant, the value of the home, whether it is a house or flat and how much the social landlord has spent on its upkeep. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:sCy0xVmT4lMJ:https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-expects-3000-right-to-buy-sales-in-midlands-pilot-57713+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

Rents Rise Just '1.2pc' In a Year

Private rents in London have risen at more than triple the pace of those in northern regions and the Midlands over the last year, official figures have shown. The value of rents paid in the English capital rose by 1.9pc in the 12 months to August, which was also around double the rate of increases seen elsewhere in southern England. Both Scotland and Wales have seen a 1.3pc annual rise in rental prices, while England has seen a 1.1pc increase. Across Britain, rents have typically increased by 1.2pc over the last year, but if London was taken out of the figures the rise would have been just 0.8pc. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.