Will building safety issues affect my ability to buy my home using the Right to Buy / Right to Acquire scheme?
In 2019, mortgage lenders and valuers began asking people who applied for mortgages on properties in some apartment blocks, to provide independent certification that the building meets the requirements of the latest guidelines before they would lend on it. This has created a national issue with many residents finding that they cannot get mortgages for their property until this work is done.
Unfortunately, it is very likely that you would need to provide this certification (an EWS1 form) to a lender before you could buy your home through the Right to Acquire or Right to Buy schemes. This means that it may not be possible for you to buy your home at this time, however if this is something you are considering you should contact your chosen mortgage provider for more information about their approach.
We acknowledge that this has had a life-changing impact on many of our resident’s lives and we apologise for this. We will be doing everything we can to support residents who have had their plans to buy their home disrupted both through delivering our building safety programme as quickly as we can, and by working with our partners to lobby Government to enable people to move safely and with confidence.