Thames Valley Housing – one of Waverley’s favoured “affordable homes” partners is among the first Housing Authority’s in the country to be given the opportunity to allow its tenants the chance to buy their own homes.
The TVA, which has built homes in Woking and Guildford and in Waverley, more recently over 50 in Cranleigh, as well as elsewhere in the borough, will be giving their tenants the chance to buy as part of the new voluntary right to buy pilot initiated by the Government.
The scheme which opened in January could help tenants buy their homes with a discount of up to £77,900 – depending on the length of their tenancy.
The pilot is being rolled out ahead of a national scheme subject to the approval of legislation which is currently going through Parliament.
There will be a limited number of sales under the pilot, which will be allocated on a first come first served basis to tenants who meet the criteria.
Well there you are then! Build new “affordable homes” often on land once owned by local authorities, lighten the housing register – in the short term – then sell off the homes “at a discount” and then start the whole process all over again… on green field sites!
When will someone – somewhere, sometime realise that selling off Social Housing stock is not a particularly good idea in the long term?