Property Acquisition
Private property compulsory acquisition
The government, local council or utility company have the legal right to buy or take rights over your private property if it falls within a public or private construction project such as:
- housing developments
- electricity pylons and cables
- flood defence works
- sewer, water or gas pipe schemes
- rail or road building projects
Different compulsory purchase or statutory powers are needed to implement the above schemes. For example, water pipes are laid under statutory rights under the ater Industry Act 1991, and a road bypass will have its own compulsory purchase order through the Acquisition of Land Act 1981.
In all cases, the owners and occupiers of the properties to be acquired or affected by the scheme will be served Notices, with differing expiry times. All the schemes provide compensation to owners and occupiers directly affected by the scheme.
For further information please get in touch using the contact details below.
Private property voluntary acquisition
The registered social landlord administering the scheme will be able to provide you with more detailed instructions on how the scheme operates.
It is important to understand that the scheme does not apply to all tenants as it is up to the landlord whether it takes part in the scheme and some properties may be excluded. The scheme does not provide any statutory right to purchase.
If your landlord does operate the scheme, your eligibility will depend on:
- whether there are sufficient funds available to provide the discounts
- you meeting the qualiying criteria for the scheme
- the property you occupy being included in the scheme
Your landlord should tell you whether funds are available and if a waiting list applies.
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