After the announcement of the Housing (Scotland) Bill which could see the cessation of the right to buy scheme in three years, people have been rushing to exercise their right to buy their council home.

The right to buy scheme allows tenants large discounts on their house if they choose to buy it, assuming they have been held a tenancy for an extended period of time (at least 5 years).

The new Bill would remove this right, and the right would only be a right for 3 years afterward. This is likely the cause of the 50% rise in people claiming on the right to buy scheme that Scotland has seen in the last year.

However, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has called for the three year leeway to be reduced to just one year.

This is to “strike a fair balance between the giving reasonable notice to those wishing to exercise their right and protecting the scarce resource that is Scotland’s social housing stock.”

House building statistics are also down across 2013, seeing a decrease in the final quarter of work beginning on properties. A 20% drop to 2802 from the first three quarters, but overall up from twelve months previous.

The Bill has not yet been passed, but if you live in council housing in Scotland, you may find your right to buy window closing up.