In March 2019 the 大象传媒 Shared Data Unit reported on the impact of the Right to Buy policy under which former social housing tenants were allowed to buy their home at a discount, the size of which depended how long they had lived there.
We sourced and analysed data from HM Land Registry, the Registers of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Data for 92,000 sales was published in Freedom of Information responses.
The investigation found homes in Britain bought under the scheme had been sold on for 拢6.4bn in collective profit since 2000.
In England and Wales
- Between 2000 and 2018, some 53,000 homeowners made 拢5bn in profit, or 拢4.3bn in real terms. Around one in 20 made a loss in real terms.
- The average time people kept their RtB home before selling it on was seven-and-a-half years
- 139 ex-council tenants in Great Britain bought and resold their homes within one month, creating a 拢2.8m collective profit
In Scotland
- Homeowners from 39,000 sales we analysed made 拢2.3bn in profit or 拢2.05bn in real terms. Some one in 50 sellers made a real terms loss
- The average time someone kept their RtB home before selling it on was around five years and eight months
- Seventeen people bought and sold their RtB house within one week, three of those did so on the same day - one at a 拢60,700 mark-up
In Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland does not record sales prices. Between 1982 and 2018, some 120,950 former social homes were sold including 500 homes with five or more bedrooms
Opponents of the scheme said too many people had profited from a policy that had "much bigger social ambitions", and it had led to a reduction in social housing stock.
Supporters said Right to Buy had allowed people the chance to climb the housing ladder and secure their families' financial future.
The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the 大象传媒 and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:
- iNews: 14 March 2018
- The Scotsman: 14 March 2018
- Northumberland: The Chronicle 14 March 2018
- Scotland: The Herald: 14 March 2018
- Wales: The Daily Post: 14 March 2018
- Aberdeen: Evening Express: 14 March 2018
- Eastern Daily Press: 14 March 2018
- York: The Press: 14 March 2018
- Hereford Times: 14 March 2018
- Bradford: The Telegraph & Argus: 14 March 2018
- Isle of Wight County Press: 14 March 2018
- Flintshire: The Leader: 14 March 2018
- Essex: The Gazette: 14 March 2018
- Chelmsford Weekly News: 14 March 2018
- Wrexham.com: 14 March 2018
- Edinburgh Evening News: 14 March 2018
- Isle of Wight: On The Wight: 14 March 2018
- Essex: The Clacton and Frinton Gazette: 14 March 2018
- Brentwood Live: 14 March 2018
- Stoke Sentinel: 14 March 2018
- Nottingham Post: 14 March 2018
- Flintshire: Deeside.com 14 March 2018
- Stourbridge News: 14 March 2018
- Dudley News: 14 March 2018
- Halesowen News: 14 March 2018
- Diss Mercury: 14 March 2018
- Surrey Live: 14 March 2018
- Portsmouth: The News: 14 March 2018
- Blackpool: The Gazette: 14 March 2018
- Southwark News: 14 March 2018
- Whitchurch Herald: 14 March 2018
- Berwick Advertiser: 14 March 2018
- Northumberland Gazette: 14 March 2018
- 853London: 14 March 2018
- Northampton Chronicle: 15 March 2018
- Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times: 12 March 2018
- Borehamwood Times: 12 March 2018
- Harwich and Manningtree Standard 14 March 2018
- ITV Central 14 March 2018
- Coventry Live: 18 March 2018
- Basildon Echo: 18 March 2018
- Clacton Gazette: 20 March 2018
- Derbyshire Times: 20 March 2018
- Welwyn Hatfield Times: 21 March 2018
- Bury Times: 22 March 2018
- Lancashire Telegraph: 22 March 2018
- The Bolton News: 22 March 2018
- Scotland: Strathspey Herald: 22 March 2018
- Newham Recorder: 26 March 2019
- Ham & High: 26 March 2019
- Hackney Gazette: 26 March 2019
- Ilford Recorder: 26 March 2019
- Islington Gazette: 26 March 2019
- Romford Recorder: 26 March 2019
- The Docklands & East London Advertiser: 26 March 2019
- The Brent & Kilburn Times: 26 March 2019
- Leeds Live: 28 March 2019
- Ludlow Advertiser: 3 April 2019
- Rochdale News: 4 April 2019
Non-partner coverage:
- The Times: 15 March 2018
- Inside Housing: 14 March 2018
- Property Road: 14 March 2018
- Scottish Housing News: 14 March 2018
- 15 March 2018
- tutor2u: 14 March 2018
- Skint Dad: 14 March 2018
- reddit: 14 March 2018
- 24housing: 14 March 2018
The story was also used by the , Midlands Today, 大象传媒 Radio London, 大象传媒 Good Morning Ulster, 大象传媒 Radio Bristol, 大象传媒 Radio Cornwall, 大象传媒 Somerset, 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire, 大象传媒 Radio Kent, 大象传媒 WM