ABSTRACT
The Housing Act 1980, introduced right-to-buy terms whereby tenants were to have the right to not only buy their homes but also, if they wished, to do so through a council mortgage. Housing segregation, immobility of tenants and rising rent arrears have become the products of a succession of ill-founded past decisions in the name of social engineering, planning, development and civic blunders. In council housing estates which are hard to let, sales of empty council houses to private developers to refurbish for sale or rent offer another initiative and would provide a new refurbishment opportunity. The government has made a number of modifications to the terms and conditions for the sale of council houses, including the Housing Act 1984 which improved eligibility and increased discounts. Housing associations which are registered with the Housing Corporation receive financial assistance through a combination of loans and capital grants, which enable the associations to charge ‘fair rents’ set by a rent officer.
