Accessing affordable housing
Selling your discounted market sale home
You may sell the property at any time but you must notify us in writing of your intention to sell your affordable home, before putting it on the market; please email affordablehousing@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk The property must be sold with the same discount percentage that you received when purchasing the property.
You will need to obtain and provide us with three written valuations for the full open market value of the property from different reputable local estate agents. The valuations should be scanned/photographed and emailed to the affordable housing team. We calculate the sales value by taking the average of these three valuations and applying the purchase discount. This is then the maximum sales value which you can sell at through your chosen estate agency.
The estate agents also need to provide information on how they intend to market your property, together with how they monitor sales progress and the actions taken if a property does not sell as anticipated. As well as advertising your property through your chosen estate agents, we will also include it on these webpages and can send details to our affordable housing mailing list.
Prospective buyers must be assessed by us to determine if they are eligible for affordable housing and will need to complete our form.
Please note: no offers should be taken on the property until the potential purchaser has been assessed by the affordable housing team. Please ask to see their eligibility letter or contact the affordable housing team for authorisation to proceed.
We place considerable importance on the continued provision of affordable housing for those who are unable to buy a market home. However temporary subletting is permitted on a few discounted market sale homes whilst you are trying to sell, to help owners move on quickly.
To request permission to sub-let, owners of affordable properties must complete an application form and demonstrate that they are unable to reside at the property due to financial hardship or other extenuating circumstances which have arisen since the purchase, for example job relocation or overcrowding due to additional family members. Alternatively, that they have been unable to secure a sale despite actively marketing the property for 12 months, offered at a reasonable price agreed by our affordable housing team or less. You will need to provide a report from your estate agent showing where and how the property has been marketed, any price or photo revisions and interest shown on search engines such as Rightmove or Zoopla.
Once a valid application has been made you will receive a decision within 10 working days. If your application is successful, we will relax the restriction for a temporary period, usually 12 months, until you achieve a sale or move back in. The rent will be capped at an affordable level. Please do not arrange to rent out your property until you have received written confirmation from us.
Please note that most discounted sale homes are covered by specific restrictions that prohibit letting. If you rent out your affordable home you may be in breach of planning legislation and we can take formal enforcement action against you. If you are struggling to sell or need to move away temporarily, please contact the affordable housing team to make an application.
In extenuating circumstances, you can apply to have your discounted market sale home changed into a market home or the eligibility criteria amended by varying the planning permission that was granted before it was built.
In addition to demonstrating that there is no demand for your discounted market sale through active marketing for 12 months at the agreed price, you must be able to evidence market failure and that this problem is affecting multiple owners on the development or that there are other extenuating circumstances which require the restrictions to be amended just for your home.
Once you have submitted a valid form you will receive a decision within 10 working days. If your request is supported, the affordable housing team will refer your case to the planning department and you will be asked to make a formal application to vary the planning permission covering your property.
Please be aware that whilst there is no charge to make a formal planning variation application, should you be successful, you will be required to pay legal costs to cover the amendment to the legal documents. In addition, if you are applying to have all affordable housing restrictions lifted so your property becomes a market home, when you sell the property you will be required to pay back the discount you received, based on its current open market value.
Please complete an online application to vary the legal documents covering your discounted market sale home.
