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Can You Buy Your Home?
- You must be a secure tenant of Colchester Borough Council.
- You must have had public sector tenancies totalling 2 or more years if you became a tenant before the 18th January 2005. If you became a tenant on or after the 18th January 2005, the qualifying period is 5 years.
- The property that you are purchasing must be your only or principal home.
- If your tenancy is in joint names, both parties must indicate on the application form if you wish to purchase or not. Should your family members or co-habitants wish to join the Right to Buy they will need to have resided at the property full-time for 12 months prior to the application being put in.
- You are allowed to be in receipt of Housing Benefit and apply for the Right to Buy.
Even if you are eligible to buy your home, you need to consider whether you will be able to afford to do so. This will be the biggest financial decision that you will ever make. You will be responsible for all of the maintenance of your home, mortgage repayments, you will no longer be able to receive housing benefit and if you buy a flat you will have to pay Service Charges.
Warning:
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If you are approached by anyone offering to help you buy your home, please do not let them as they normally charge you for this.
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Never sign any paperwork that you are unsure of.
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Colchester Borough Council will never approach you to see if you wish to buy your home, so anyone who claims to be from Colchester Borough Council may not be who they say they are.
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We are always happy to assist you with any questions that you may have and we do not charge for this service. Call us on 01206 282216 or by e-mail click here
