Your landlord's discount lowers the price you pay for your home. It does not tell you how much a lender will offer. Start with the written offer, then compare its figures with the lender's valuation and your own budget.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
The short answer
The Right to Buy discount is a reduction in the purchase price, not cash paid to you. If the landlord values your home at £150,000 and confirms a £15,000 discount, the purchase price is £135,000. That lower price may reduce the mortgage you need. A lender still makes its own decision on valuation, property, affordability and the amount it can lend.
This guide helps you turn an England Right to Buy offer into useful mortgage questions. Our Right to Buy mortgages hub covers eligibility and the wider buying journey. If your main question is whether you need a separate cash deposit, use the Right to Buy no-cash-deposit guide.
An illustration, not an offer
The numbers below show the calculation. They do not predict your discount or any lender's decision.
£150,000 − £15,000 = £135,000. You would need to arrange how to pay the £135,000 purchase price, plus any buying costs. For example, if a lender would advance £125,000, there would be a £10,000 funding gap before fees and other costs. Do not assume the lender will advance the full price.
The real discount depends on the scheme rules and your landlord's written offer. The current GOV.UK discount rules distinguish applications received before and after 21 November 2024. Check the rules for your application date rather than using an old headline maximum.
The official starting point
The offer is more useful than an online discount estimate because it sets out the landlord's figures for your actual property.
Check the market value, the calculated discount and the price to pay. The discount can depend on property type, value, area, eligible tenancy and whether you have used Right to Buy before. Landlord spending on the property can also reduce it.
Read the property description, land included and known structural issues. A mortgage lender may have separate concerns about condition, construction or a flat's building even when your Right to Buy application succeeds.
If you are buying a flat or maisonette, look closely at the offer's estimates of service charges for the first five years. Ask a conveyancer about the lease, future works and what you would be responsible for as an owner.
The GOV.UK landlord-offer guidance lists the information the offer should contain. The landlord determines the scheme offer; Count Ready assesses the mortgage question, not your legal entitlement to a discount.
If a figure looks wrong
A higher landlord valuation can increase the price you pay even when a percentage discount applies. If you think the landlord's market value is too high, the official guidance says you must write to the landlord within three months of receiving the offer to ask for an independent valuation. A district valuer then determines the value. Check the current process and deadlines with your landlord or conveyancer for your case.
Do not confuse this challenge with a lender's mortgage valuation. The lender may value the same property differently for its own risk assessment. That can change the mortgage amount available without changing the landlord's offer automatically.
A separate mortgage decision
The lender may commission its own valuation and review the building, lease, construction and condition. Some property types have fewer lending options. A landlord's sale offer does not oblige a lender to finance the home.
Income, spending, existing debts and credit history affect affordability and mortgage options. The discount lowers the price; it does not remove repayment or credit checks. Discuss any recent adverse credit before a full application.
Ask how the lender treats the discount, which value it uses for its loan limit and whether your cash is needed. Keep conveyancing, survey, insurance, tax where due and future repair or service-charge costs outside the headline purchase-price calculation.
The government's Right to Buy guide says some lenders treat the discount as a deposit and others do not. For that narrower question, read our no-cash-deposit service page. If your credit record is part of the decision, see Right to Buy with bad credit.
Read the original feedback before you enquire. Reviews describe service experiences; they cannot tell you what discount or mortgage you will receive.
Right to Buy figures can be confusing when the landlord's price and a lender's valuation differ. You should expect the explanation to be clear enough to question and compare.
We link to the live Google profile so you can read reviews in context, without relying on a selected website quote.
A useful first conversation
If you have received the landlord's Section 125 offer, tell us its market value, discount, purchase price, property type and offer date. Add the amount you can put towards a funding gap and purchase costs, plus broad details of income and existing commitments. If you are still waiting for the offer, say so; an estimate should not be treated as confirmed.
We can discuss what a lender would need to check and where legal or scheme questions should go to the landlord or conveyancer. An enquiry or agreement in principle is not a mortgage offer. Please do not send account numbers or financial documents through a general enquiry form.
There is no broker fee for our initial evaluation. Our Terms of Business explain later fee stages and exceptions; applicable charges are agreed before chargeable work.
Different questions, different guides
Common questions
No. It reduces the price you pay for the home. The landlord's written offer shows its market valuation, eligible discount and resulting purchase price. You still need to arrange payment of that price and the buying costs.
The landlord calculates the actual discount using your property, eligible tenancy and the rules that apply to your application date. Regional caps, earlier Right to Buy use and relevant landlord spending can affect the amount. Use the written offer rather than an estimate for mortgage planning.
No. A lender assesses the property, its own valuation, affordability, credit history and the amount you want to borrow. A lower purchase price can help the figures, but it does not guarantee approval or a particular rate.
Your landlord's formal offer, commonly called the Section 125 notice, sets out the valuation, calculated discount and price. Check the property details and any leasehold cost estimates too. Ask your landlord or conveyancer about anything that is unclear.
Yes. A mortgage lender can use its own valuation and lending policy. If it offers less than the discounted purchase price, you may need to resolve a funding gap. A lender's valuation does not automatically change the landlord's sale offer.
GOV.UK says you must write to the landlord within three months of receiving the offer to ask for an independent valuation. Check the current process and your dates promptly with the landlord or conveyancer. The mortgage lender's valuation is a separate matter.
It may with some lenders; others do not treat it that way. The answer depends on the purchase price, lender valuation, property and your finances. Our separate Right to Buy no-cash-deposit guide explains that specific decision and the other cash costs to plan for.
Possibly. Current Right to Buy guidance says selling within five years can trigger repayment of some or all of the discount, and a sale within ten years may require offering the property back to a social landlord first. Ask your conveyancer how the restrictions apply to your purchase.
Official Right to Buy guidance checked 13 October 2026. General information, not personal mortgage, housing, tax or legal advice.
Share the figures in your landlord's offer and what you can afford to contribute. We can help identify the checks needed before you decide whether to apply for a mortgage.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
