Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Amendment) Order 2003 and shall come into force on 27th March 2003.

Amendment of Order

2.  The Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) Order 1998(2) shall be amended in accordance with the following articles.

Maximum discounts

3.—(1) In article 3—

(a)at the beginning of paragraph (1) insert “Subject to article 3A,”; and

(b)in that paragraph and paragraph (2), for “the Schedule” substitute “Schedule 1”.

(2) After article 3 insert—

“3A.—(1) In relation to a dwelling house situated in one of the areas specified in Column 2 of Schedule 2, the prescribed sum for the purposes of section 131(2) is £16,000.

(2) Area means a county or district in England, a London borough, or the City of London.”

(3) The Schedule shall become Schedule 1 to the Order and after that Schedule insert—

“SCHEDULE 2

Application

4.  The amendments made by article 3 above shall not have effect in a case where a notice under section 122(1) of the Housing Act 1985 was served before the date on which this Order came into force.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

A person exercising the right to buy a dwelling-house in England under Part 5 of the Housing Act 1985 may be entitled, under sections 129 to 131 of and Schedule 4 to the Act, to a discount equal to a percentage of the price before discount.

The discount may not, however, reduce the price by more than such sum as the Secretary of State may by order prescribe. The Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) Order 1998 currently prescribes the maximum discount for specified regions in England. This order amends that order to change the maximum discount for the areas specified within the Eastern, London and South East regions to £16,000.