The Sale of Council Houses Some Empirical Evidence

Abstract

The pattern of council house sales in one housing authority, the City of Aberdeen, was monitored over a two year period since the 'Right to Buy' legislation came into force. The pattern of sales was variable, both spatially and between house types. Semi-detached and terraced properties sold at a greater rate than flatted properties, and estates with higher socio-economic status and a higher popularity rating experienced a greater level of sales. This suggests that over the medium to long term, a continued policy of unrestricted sales will have a deleterious effect on the desirability of the remaining public sector stock and will increase the pressures towards a residualisation of public sector housing.