National VRTB Roll-Out Would Cost £14.6bn In First Decade

According to calculations drawn from numbers included in a government-commissioned report looking into the Midlands Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) pilot, it is estimated that in the first year alone, the bill for the taxpayer would come close to £2.1bn. An evaluation report on the pilot, published last month by the MHCLG, estimated that were the policy rolled out across England, 32,000 housing association homes would be sold off in the first year. After 10 years 223,843 sales would take place. The review also revealed that the 1,892 sales through the Midlands pilot cost the government £65,390 each on average, mostly through reimbursing providers for the sizeable discounts on offer. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/national-vrtb-roll-out-would-cost-146bn-in-first-decade-69844 

Voluntary Right To Buy Pilot Review: Doubts Raised Over One-For-One Replacement Of Homes Sold

Replacing social housing sold through the Midlands pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) on a one-for-one basis will be “challenging”, an evaluation of the project has warned. Replacement homes will be on average smaller, at higher rents and include more homes for shared ownership and fewer for rent. If the policy was to be rolled out nationally, it is predicted that 32,000 homes would be sold off in the first year and 223,843 would be sold off in the first decade. The vast majority of the 1,892 homes sold through the pilot by the end of April last year were for social rent, but researchers estimated that just 27% of replacements will be for this tenure. Download the evaluation from the MHCLG website.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/958999/VRTB_Evaluation_v5_FINAL.pdf 

Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands _ Parliamentary Written Answer

Nick Fletcher:  To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for the conclusion of the Voluntary Right to Buy pilot for housing association tenants in the Midlands; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential for that scheme to be rolled out more widely after that pilot's conclusion.

Christopher Pincher: The final sales under the Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot are due to conclude in 2021, following some delays to sales caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pilot is being fully evaluated, and the results of this evaluation will be published.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-11-30/122924 

Voluntary Right To Buy Pilot Cash Was Redirected To ACM Fund

Ministers redirected cash set aside for the regional Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) pilot to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding from private sector blocks amid unexpectedly low demand. Launched in August 2018 for housing associations across the Midlands, the VRTB pilot was tied to £200m of funding predicted to pay for discounts on around 3,000 sales. But a recent Freedom of Information response from the MHCLG said: “The applications and sales progressed more slowly than expected, and the level of dropout was higher than was forecasted, which meant that there was spare budget in 2019/20. “Ministers decided to allocate some of that budget to urgent priorities, including the Private Sector ACM [Aluminium Composite Material] Cladding Remediation Fund.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/voluntary-right-to-buy-pilot-cash-was-redirected-to-acm-fund-68676?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Midlands Voluntary Right To Buy Pilot Extended

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed that the Midlands Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) pilot will now finish at an undecided date later this year. Sales through the scheme were previously expected to complete on or around 31 March. MHCLG would not disclose the reason for the move. Figures show that as of 18 March, 1,526 sales had been completed through the pilot and £99.4m had been spent on funding discounts. That is only half the £200m set aside for the VRTB pilot by ministers, who had expected around 3,000 homes to be sold. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/midlands-voluntary-right-to-buy-pilot-extended-66234?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations – Parliamentary Written Answer

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to enable tenants of Housing Associations in England to have a Right to Buy; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Voluntary Right to Buy for housing association tenants is currently being piloted in the Midlands, which is giving thousands of tenants in the East and West Midlands the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of home ownership. The demand for the pilot was high. Over 9,000 households registered for the ballot in August 2018, with 6,000 tenants being given the opportunity to apply to their housing association. The pilot will be fully evaluated after its completion. As set out in the 2019 manifesto, we will be evaluating new pilot areas. We will announce more details on this in due course.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-12-20/260

Housing Associations React To Conservative’s Right To Buy Promise With Scepticism

Housing associations have reacted with scepticism to the Conservative Party’s manifesto pledge to push ahead with a policy extending the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) to their tenants if it wins next month’s election. The manifesto promised to “evaluate new pilot areas” following the “successful” Midlands scheme. But the National Housing Federation (NHF) said the pilot will be a success “only if it helps tenants onto the housing ladder without any net loss of social housing”, while housing associations involved in the project pointed to issues with the policy. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/housing-associations-react-to-conservatives-right-to-buy-promise-with-scepticism-64318?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

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

Millions For ‘Ludicrous Right To Buy Lottery’ Should Fund Homelessness Schemes

Around £190m earmarked for the “ludicrous housing association right-to-buy lottery” should be diverted into funding an emergency winter programme to prevent further homeless deaths, the Commons heard. Labour’s Steve McCabe challenged Housing Minister Luke Hall to admit housing association right-to-buy was “always a daft idea”. During a debate on the rising homeless death rates, McCabe said there had been only 180 transactions under the “ludicrous housing association right-to-buy lottery”. The remaining £190m should, he said, be diverted to an emergency winter programme to “spare us a spate of people freezing to death on the streets.” Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/millions-for-ludicrous-right-to-buy-lottery-should-fund-homelessness-schemes/

Housing: Sales – Parliamentary Written Answer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the disparity in discounts on properties offered to (a) council tenants and (b) right to buy schemes.

Kit Malthouse: The Voluntary Right to Buy pilot currently underway in the Midlands is giving thousands of housing association tenants in the East and West Midlands the opportunity to apply to purchase their homes at Right to Buy level discounts. The pilot will be independently evaluated after completion and future policy decisions will be taken in light of that evaluation.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-07-11/276185

Just £10m Allocated In Voluntary Right To Buy Pilot

Only 5% of a £200m pot for a pilot scheme to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants has been spent since its launch last summer, it has emerged. Meanwhile, only 181 sales had been completed by 10 June. However, MHCLG said that “several hundred” applications are at the formal offer stage. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/just-10m-allocated-in-voluntary-right-to-buy-pilot-62248

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

Association Seals First Voluntary Right To Buy

Home Group have announced its first successful Voluntary Right To Buy (VRTB) sale. The £200m pilot, which offers eligible customers the opportunity to purchase their home at Right To Buy level discounts, is taking place in the Midlands. The project comes off the back of measures announced in the government’s Social Housing Green Paper last year, aimed at making it easier for people to progress into home ownership. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/association-seals-first-voluntary-right-to-buy/

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

Housing Association Tenants In Midlands To Be Given Right To Buy

The government has announced a £200m pilot scheme to extend right to buy to housing association tenants, with a pledge to replace each property sold with a new affordable home. The announcement came days after the government scrapped a plan from 2015 to force the sale of council homes in areas with high-value properties. That proposal had been intended to fund the national rollout of the right-to-buy policy for housing associations tenants. It is now unclear how the nationwide scheme will be paid for. The pilot will be funded by £200m from funding already earmarked in the 2017 budget, with places on the scheme allocated via a ballot. Tenants have one month from the scheme’s launch to make their application. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/16/housing-association-tenants-in-midlands-to-be-given-right-to-buy

What The Green Paper Means For Social Housing

The Social Housing Green Paper may well mark a seminal moment in the English housing sector. However, this may perhaps be more for what it ushered out than what it ushered in. A number of notable policies introduced during the Cameron-Osborne years have been unceremoniously dumped or reversed:

– The High-value Assets Levy that was to be paid by councils to cover the cost of replacing homes sold by housing associations under the voluntary Right to Buy – gone

– The Housing and Planning Act 2016 contained powers to require councils to implement fixed-terms to new tenancies – this policy has been scrapped

– Consumer regulation was pared back in 2010 with the Tenant Services Authority infamously being made into ‘toast’ by then housing minister Grant Shapps. The Green Paper explores a number of options to beef up consumer regulation so it is on a par with economic regulation

– Performance league tables are being considered to allow meaningful comparison between social landlords. This was last possible when the Audit Commission and its KLOEs (key lines of enquiry) was in its pre-coalition government pomp, before being abolished.

Read more on the See Media website.

http://see-media.co.uk/what-the-green-paper-means-for-social-housing/

1,000-Home Threshold For Right To Buy Extension Pilot

Housing associations with fewer than 1,000 homes will not be asked to take part in the Midlands pilot of the Right to Buy extension. But smaller associations will still be able to participate in the regional trial if they wish. The threshold is not mentioned in government guidance for housing associations involved in the pilot. Boards are currently deciding on whether to sign up to the Treasury-funded pilot, due to start in August. A full list of participating landlords will be published “in due course”, according to the government guidance. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bVRk5Kf7gpoJ:https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/1000-home-threshold-for-right-to-buy-extension-pilot-56423+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

Right to Buy Scheme – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated to the pilot on right-to-buy for housing associations to date; and how much has been committed in funding for that right-to-buy for each year from 2018-19 to 2022-23 inclusive.

Alok Sharma: In the Autumn Budget the Government announced a £200 million voluntary Right to Buy regional pilot in the Midlands, allocating £50 million of funding for 2018/19 and a further £150 million for 2019/20. This will give thousands more housing association tenants the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of home ownership.

Association Right To Buy Sales Up 18%

Figures released by the CLG 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, which 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. Read more on Inside Housing.