An independent Right to Buy valuation is a RICS valuation of your home prepared for you, the tenant, rather than for your landlord. It gives you a professional opinion of the property’s market value so you can judge the figure in your landlord’s offer, decide whether to ask for a District Valuer determination, and go ahead with the purchase knowing where you stand.
Sterlingworth Surveyors is a RICS-regulated firm (Firm Registration Number 850747) based in Chessington. We are independent of councils and housing associations, and our Right to Buy valuations are prepared in line with RICS Valuation – Global Standards (the Red Book). This page covers Right to Buy in England.
Your landlord’s valuation is the figure it puts in its offer and uses to work out your price. An independent valuation is advice prepared for you, so you can test that figure. If you disagree with the landlord’s value, the decision passes to the District Valuer, whose determination replaces it. None of these is a survey of the property’s condition.
| Who it is for | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord's valuation | Your council or landlord | Sets the value, price and discount shown in the offer notice |
| District Valuer determination | The statutory process | Decides the value if you ask for it in writing within three months of the offer |
| Independent Right to Buy valuation | You, the tenant | Gives you an impartial opinion of market value to help you decide what to do |
| Home survey | You, the buyer | Reports on the property's condition and defects, not its value for Right to Buy |
The most useful time is soon after you receive your landlord’s offer, while there is still time to ask for a District Valuer determination. Tenants usually ask us when:
An independent valuation does not change your eligibility or the discount rules, and it does not replace your landlord’s offer. It helps you make an informed decision.
This page is about Right to Buy in England. Right to Buy has been abolished in Scotland and in Wales, and Northern Ireland has its own rules. GOV.UK’s Right to Buy guide explains who can apply in England, including tenants who have the Preserved Right to Buy because their council home was sold to another landlord, such as a housing association, while they lived there.
For Right to Buy, value means the price the home would fetch if sold on the open market by a willing seller, with vacant possession, at the date your application was served. The law also sets some rules that matter to tenants:
improvements made by you, earlier secure tenants in the home or qualifying family members do not add to the value.
any failure by those same people to keep the inside of the home in good repair does not reduce it either.
on the basis of the lease the landlord would grant, rather than as a freehold.
Yes. If you think the value in your landlord’s offer is too high, you can ask in writing for the value to be decided by the District Valuer. You must do this within three months of receiving the offer. The District Valuer then decides the value of your home, and your landlord tells you what that means for your price.
Both you and your landlord can make representations to the District Valuer, and an independent valuation report can support yours with evidence of comparable sales and the features that affect value. The District Valuer reaches their own decision, which may differ from both your landlord’s figure and ours, so an independent valuation first helps you decide whether asking for a determination is worthwhile.
Your landlord’s offer explains the next steps and any time limits that apply after a determination. You can also get free help from Citizens Advice.
No. The valuation is the market value of the home before any discount. Your landlord works out your discount and takes it off that value to reach your price, and the offer must set out both the discount and how it was calculated. A lower value can mean a lower price, which is why the value figure is worth checking.
We value the property; we do not decide whether you qualify or how much discount you are entitled to. The discount rules in England have changed in recent years, and the government has announced further changes that need new legislation, so check GOV.UK’s current guidance on Right to Buy discounts and speak to your landlord or a solicitor about your own position.
A valuation tells you what the home is worth; it is not a detailed check of its condition. Your landlord’s offer must describe any structural defects it knows about, but that is not a survey. Once you own the home, repairs to it will usually be your responsibility, and with a flat you may also have to pay towards the building’s upkeep through service charges. A RICS Level 2 survey suits most conventional homes in reasonable condition, and a RICS Level 3 survey gives a more detailed report for older, altered or larger properties. You can compare the options on our residential surveys page.
An inspection to record size, layout, condition and features, noting any tenant improvements to be disregarded.
Review of comparable sales, adjusted for the differences between each home and yours.
Our opinion of market value on the basis the law sets for Right to Buy, before any discount.
A clear report setting out the value and the evidence behind it, which you can use in deciding your next steps.
We inspect the property to record its size, layout, condition and features, and note any improvements that should be disregarded. We then analyse sales of comparable homes nearby, adjusted for the differences, and set out our opinion of market value, with our reasoning, in a written report.
The fee depends on the property and the service you need. Tell us about the home and where you are in the Right to Buy process, and we will confirm a fixed fee before you instruct us.
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Yes. You can instruct a RICS valuer to value your home for you at any stage. It is most useful once you have your landlord’s offer, because you have three months from receiving it to ask in writing for the District Valuer to decide the value. An independent valuation helps you decide whether that is worthwhile.
Yes. We are independent of your council or housing association and give you an impartial view of the property’s market value. We act for you, not for your landlord, and our report sets out the evidence behind our opinion so you can see how we reached it.
Yes. The District Valuer must consider representations made by you or your landlord, and you can include our report as evidence. The District Valuer makes their own decision on the value, which may not match our figure or your landlord’s, but a clear, evidenced report puts your case on firm ground.
They should not. For Right to Buy, the law says improvements made by you, earlier secure tenants or qualifying family members are disregarded when the home is valued. The offer notice should list the improvements your landlord has ignored, and we check that list against what we see on inspection.
No. A valuation gives an opinion of market value. A survey reports on condition, defects and repairs. As the new owner you will usually be responsible for repairs, so it is sensible to consider a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey before completing the purchase.
You may. If you sell within a set period after buying, you will usually have to repay some or all of the discount, and the amount depends on the home’s value when you sell. There are also rules about offering the home to your former landlord first. GOV.UK sets out the current rules.
Yes. Right to Buy lets eligible tenants buy their rented home at a discount. Help to Buy was an equity loan scheme for buyers of new-build homes in England, and it no longer takes new applications. Homeowners repaying a Help to Buy equity loan need a separate valuation for that purpose.
Right to Buy has been abolished in both Wales and Scotland, so this service is for Right to Buy in England. Northern Ireland has its own rules. If you own a former council home elsewhere and need a valuation for another reason, contact us to discuss it.
If you have received your landlord’s offer, or expect it soon, an independent valuation gives you a clear view of the value before you decide what to do. Tell us about the property and where you are in the process, and we will confirm the fee before you instruct us.
You can also see all our residential valuation services in one place.
