The right to buy, the totemic policy of the Thatcher years, has lost its allure for social housing tenants who now overwhelmingly want to continue renting their homes, according to an official survey to be released today.
Fewer than one in eight tenants of council or housing association properties say they would like to own their house or flat. A decade ago, the proportion was almost one in three.
In a further sign of the falling appeal of home ownership, the survey has found that only 8% of people who bought a stake in their homes through shared ownership arrangements have gone on to raise their initial investment.
The findings, for the government's Tenant Services Authority (TSA), point to a change in attitudes towards home ownership. Under Margaret Thatcher's administration, introduction of the right for tenants to buy their council properties was credited with transforming the social and political outlook of millions.
Want to know more read the full story at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/sep/21/tenants-right-to-buy-renting
Back to News