"Right to buy" ends for Scottish social housing

The right to buy their house has come to an end for tenants of social housing in Scotland.

First introduced in 1980, the right was brought to an end with effect from 31 July 2016 by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014. Up to the financial year 2014-15, a total of nearly half a million (494,580) council and housing association homes were sold under right to buy in Scotland, but Scottish Parliament legislation increasingly restricted the right as pressure grew on the remaining social housing stock.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart commented: “By ending the right to buy we are protecting up to 15,500 social homes from sale over the next 10 years and safeguarding this stock for future generations."

He added: “Giving everyone access to a good quality affordable home is a priority for this Government and we will continue to assist people into home ownership through a range of shared equity schemes including Help to Buy (Scotland) and Open Market Shared Equity to help thousands of households own their own homes.”

Dr Mary Taylor, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said: “SFHA and its members long campaigned for an end to right to buy, and warmly welcomes the end of a policy which has led to a considerable reduction in the availability of truly affordable social rented homes and contributed to the growing intergenerational inequality in terms of access to affordable quality housing."