18 May 2004

Housing association tenants get to buy their own homes

Social Development Minister John Spellar today launched a consultation document which should allow many more housing association tenants to buy their own homes.

The Minister was outlining his proposals to amend the current statutory house sales scheme for social housing tenants and to extend its provisions to housing associations’ tenants.

The Minister said: “The house sales scheme has been very successful in giving many people, who would not otherwise have been able to, the opportunity to buy their own homes.

“However, the statutory scheme only applies to Housing Executive tenants and while some housing associations, encouraged by my Department, have been operating a voluntary sales scheme, a number have opted out. I want to address this inconsistency and extend the opportunity to buy their homes to housing association tenants.”

Indicating that he was also proposing to fine-tune the existing Housing Executive scheme, the Minister added: “The main reason for these changes is to ensure that the policy of selling social houses does not impact adversely on the supply of affordable housing, both for those in urgent need of social housing and for potential first time buyers.

"In this regard I am particularly concerned that speculative landlords are now emerging as purchasers of many former social houses when these are put on the market thus reducing the potential for such properties to offer an affordable housing option for first time buyers.”

The Minister added that the new arrangements will apply, subject to any amendments which might be made following the outcome of the consultation, to all applications to purchase NIHE or housing association properties received after May 18.

(MB)