Right to Buy

In accordance with Gateshead Council's legal duty to prevent fraud we now require all tenants and family members to provide evidence as detailed below:

Proof of ID

Proof of residency

Change of name

Fraud checks

Right to buy application form

Previous tenancies

Advice before buying

Please note we cannot accept an application without documents providing both ID and residency from all applicants as detailed below. Absence of any documents will result in your application being returned to you without being registered. 

Proof of ID

All applicants to provide proof of ID. Please do not send in the original documents as are we are unable to return these. 

Tenants and Family members must provide either a: 

• valid passport

or 

• valid UK photo card driving licence 

If none of the above are available, one of the following must be provided: 

• birth certificate 
• marriage certificate 
• bus pass 
• signed recent photo of solicitor confirming ID 

Proof of Residency 

Family members must also provide two documents per person from the list below as proof of residency covering the last 12 months from the application date. 

For example, applications submitted August 2020, one document provided must be dated August 2019 and one documented August 2020

The documents can be any of the following:

• utility bill
• home/bank phone bill
• bank/credit card statement 
• payslip showing address 
• pension documents
• DWP letters 

Please note we do not accept council tax bills or rent statements as proof of residency. 

Change of name 

Please do not send original documents as we will be unable to return these.

If you are married or have changed your name at any point you will also be required to provide document(s) which reflect this change of name

• marriage certificates 
• divorce papers 
• deed roll documents 

Fraud checks

To prevent and detect fraud, all applications will be forwarded onto the Council's Corporate fraud team for comprehensive check and for verification of the information supplied, we may share the information held by us with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds and with credit reference agencies. The Council is committed to zero tolerance on all aspects of fraud, and will investigate any suspected fraud with a view to criminal prosecution and recovery of property obtained through fraudulent acts. 

We have an Anti Money Laundering Policy and as such the Council has legal responsibility to prevent criminal activity through money laundering. Any usual, suspicious or large scale monetary transactions need to be reported to the Council's Money Laundering Officer.

For this reason you will be required to complete a declaration and provide evidence to support the financing of your Right to Buy (RTB) purchase. Your application can not be completed until the Corporate Fraud Team have verified all sources of funds and are satisfied all checks have been made and verified. 

Providing false or misleading information or withholding information could result in prosecution.

We would also advise you to be aware of companies offering free assistance with applications under the Right to Buy scheme. These companies may be earning commission from introducing customers to both insurance and mortgage brokers. Companies of this kind may not have the required authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), meaning that they could be avoiding complying with the rules regarding the independence of their advice, as well as, the requirement to register the identities of authorised individuals within the company with the FCA. You can check whether or not a firm is registered with the FCA online (opens new window) or by phone on 0800 111 6768.

Right to Buy application form

Right to buy application form Gov.uk

You must also complete an  additional information form (PDF) [198KB] along with your application.

Please note we cannot accept your application without the additional information form and documents proving both ID and residency from all applicants. Absence of any documents will result in your application being returned to you without being registered. Please do not send original documents, as we will be unable to return these.

Previous tenancies

Under the Right to Buy scheme you are entitled to use any qualifying tenancies you have held with any local authority or registered social landlord in regard to qualification for the Right to Buy and in the calculation of your entitlement to discount. Please note that Gateshead Council and The Gateshead Housing company only hold documents in relation to former tenancies for a limited period of times. Should you wish to use historical tenancies as part of your Right to Buy application we may ask you to provide documents to prove your tenancy dates. If you are unable to provide relevant documents you may not be able to use these tenancies in relation to your Right to Buy application. 

Advice before buying 

Buying your home is a big decision if you haven't done so already, you should get impartial financial and legal advice before buying. You can get free information and advice from:

• the Government's Right to Buy website (opens new window)
• the Government booklets 'Want to make your home your own?' and 'Your right to buy your home'
• for legal matters, contact your local citizens advice Bureau
• for budgeting and financial advice, contact the Money Advice Service 0300 500 5000 or visit their website (opens new window)

For further information on the Right to Buy scheme visit the Own Your Home website (opens new window)