Whilst most of our properties are to rent, there are some opportunities to buy a home, or own part of it. (See our Shared Ownership page).

Customers who were secure tenants of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council at the time of transfer of the council’s properties to Freebridge on 3rd April 2006, and have remained Freebridge customers since then keep the right to buy their homes. This is known as the preserved Right to Buy.

The maximum Right to Buy discount for this region is £34,000

There are a small number of properties which are exempt from Right to Buy, meaning even if you have the right to buy, it isn’t possible to buy it. We can let you know if this applies to your home.

This is a restriction placed on the Title as explained below. 

A restriction is imposed under s.157 of the Housing Act 1985 to many properties sold under the Right to Buy.

The s157 restriction requires that a prospective purchaser must have lived or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for at least three years (without a break) at the date of purchase.

In the case of joint purchasers only one of the purchasers needs to have lived or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for three years before their purchase. 

The s157 restriction also applies if the owner lets the property. The tenants must have previously lived or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for the three years before starting their tenancy.

The s157 restriction provides a pool of properties available for purchasers (and tenants) who have connections through residence or work within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk. The s157 restriction should not prevent a property owner from selling or letting their property.

Properties likely to have a s157 restriction

A s157 restriction applies to individual properties. If you are unsure whether your property has a s157 restriction you should seek legal advice.

In most cases the restriction only applies to properties in the rural parts of within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk and to properties which fall within one of the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Selling a property with a Section 157 Restriction

If you are selling a property with a section 157 restriction you must make your estate agent aware of the restriction. Your agent should include information about the section 157 restriction when they advertise the property for sale.

Once you have agreed a sale it is the responsibility of the purchaser’s solicitor to obtain Freebridge Community Housing permission for the buyers to proceed with their purchase.

Guidance for Estate Agents and Letting Agents

 If you are advertising a property for sale that is subject to a s157 restriction, we advise you to make clear in any sales literature that the purchaser is required to have lived or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for at least three years at the date of purchase. The s157 covenant on the property requires Freebridge’s approval of a prospective purchaser. By providing clear information in your advertising, you reduce the risk of disappointment and save wasted time and costs.

A purchaser of a property subject to a s157 restriction, is required by Freebridge Community Housing to sign an undertaking to use the property as their principal home, or to let it as a principal home to someone who meets the s157 restriction criteria (see below). This means that a property with a s157 restriction can never be used as a second or holiday home.

Section 157 restrictions apply to lettings as well. A prospective tenant must have lived or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for three years at the tenancy start date. 

Guidance for Purchaser’s Solicitor

The Council will approve the purchase if the purchaser can show they have lived and/or worked within the Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk for the three years to the date of purchase. To process the approval Freebridge Community Housing requires:

Please send us this information to [email protected] including the address of the property in question.

You may share the Right to Buy with up to three family members over the age of 18. They must be a spouse, civil partner, or wider family member. Wider family members must have also lived in the property as their main home for at least the last 12 months

You will need to provide information for our identity checks.

For full details on exactly who can apply and how you can start the process either take a look at our leaflet or call us on 03332 404444 and ask for a paper copy.

Customers who were not a tenant of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council at the time of transfer will not have the right to buy. But you may have the right to acquire.

If you have been a public sector (housing association or local authority) tenant for three years or more and part of that time was with another local authority, we will contact you within eight weeks to let you know if your application has been accepted or denied.

The Right to Acquire discount for this region is £9,000.

If your property is in a designated rural area, you will not be able to use your Right to Acquire. Please see the Statutory Instrument (Page 12), to find out if your home is in a designated rural area.

If it is not then you can find additional information and the application form on the Gov.uk website.

Please note with every Right to Buy and Right to Acquire application, in order to prevent fraud, we need to carry out identity and residency checks.

Further guidance about Right to Buy/Acquire can be found on the Gov.uk website.

If you resell or dispose of the property within 10 years of purchasing the property, Freebridge Community Housing have the first right of refusal. 

You will be required to offer the property back to Freebridge at full market value and if your offer has not been accepted within 8 weeks, you will be free to sell the property on the open market.

If you buy the dwelling at the discounted price, the conveyance will contain a covenant that the discount will be repayable by you, wholly or proportionately, if you dispose of the property within five years from the date of conveyance or lease to you.

The amount of discount to be repaid if you sell within 5 years of purchase will be a percentage of the resale value of the property, disregarding the value of any improvements. 

The discount repayable by you is reduced by one-fifth for each year that passes after the purchase.

If you decide to sell your property or make alterations, you may require our permission.  If you do require our permission we will require you to pay our administration costs.  Please check your Conveyance/Transfer/Lease for details. If your property is leasehold please see the leasehold section of this website.

Administration costs are owed by the requesting party to Freebridge Community Housing Limited for carrying out the requested work. Prices stated are for administration fees only and do not include any premium chargeable for Property or Deeds. 

These fees are solely for the work carried out by Freebridge Community Housing Limited and do not include the requesting parties own legal fees.  Please consult your own solicitor to discuss their fees. 

From time to time, we also have Shared Ownership properties where customers can buy a share or rent to buy a property - you can find out more information and the properties available here.

Page last updated 14 October 2025