The resale of former public sector homes in rural Scotland

Before the introduction of the Right to Buy legislation there was concern about the potentially damaging effects the policy might have on rural communities. While early research confirmed these fears, a more comprehensive study by Twine and Williams (1993) found little evidence of the scheme exacerbating rural housing problems. Now, five years on, and after a period of sustained resale activity, we introduce new evidence which suggests that, the impact of resales in widening choice to would-be first time buyers in rural areas may have been less than previously believed. On the other hand, the study seems to lend weight to the suggestion of earlier research that resales may have specific impacts in remoter areas of scenic beauty. In areas of this sort, the proportion of incomers within the cohort of resale purchasers may be particularly large by comparison with other rural areas.