Voluntary Right to Buy Application Form

Step 1

You will not be able to begin your VRTB application with us, without obtaining a Unique Reference Number (URN) from the Government’s Digital Gateway website www.midlands.righttobuy.gov.uk

There are only a limited number of URN’s available, which are allocated via a ballot system, and their allocation is solely down to the Government. The Government will be opening their digital gateway www.midlands.righttobuy.gov.uk on 16 August 2018, for a period of 4 weeks. During this time you may register your interest in the VRTB ballot. Once the ballot is closed, the Government will randomly select applicants. These successful applicants will be notified and assigned a URN which, can be used to make an application with us.

The issuing of URN’s is something that we have no control or influence over. If you have any complaints or issues with the process for applying for a URN you should raise these with the Government by visiting www.righttobuy.gov.uk

If you are allocated a URN please be aware that this is no guarantee that you will be able to purchase a property. There are three main reasons for this:

1. You may not be eligible for the voluntary right to buy scheme.
2. Your property may not be eligible for the voluntary right to buy scheme and it may not be possible for us to make you a reasonable alternative offer.
3. The voluntary right to buy scheme is a pilot being run by the Government and a number of Midlands housing associations. The pilot is limited by time (it runs until March 2020) and the amount of Government funding available.

Step 2

Once you have your URN you can make a voluntary right to buy application to us by using the link at the bottom of this page.

You'll need the following information when making your application. Please note that it’s your responsibility to provide evidence to support your application – the Association cannot do it for you:

• The full address of the property you want to buy, including the postcode.
• The full names of everyone listed on your tenancy agreement.
• Details/evidence of your current and previous public sector tenancies including length of tenancy, particularly from other landlords.
• Proof of your identity and the identity of anyone who is purchasing the property with you.
• Details/evidence of any improvements you have made to the property along with any permissions.
• Details/evidence of how you are going to fund the purchase.
• Details of your income and savings and the income and savings of anyone else who is buying the property with you. This is to help prevent potential identity fraud and/or money laundering.

Step 3

We will let you know whether or not your application has been successful. If successful, you will need to pay us a £250 application fee to help meet costs, for example, the property valuation. The £250 application fee needs to be paid before we can move your application forward. Payment can be made by credit or debit card by calling your local customer services team:

Severnside, Shropshire

0300 300 0059

SSHA, Staffordshire

01785 312000

The application fee is refundable if the purchase completes. However, if for any reason you drop out of the process, the application fee is non-refundable.