There were more former council homes in Cornwall sold off under the Right to Buy scheme last year, new figures show.

The president of PropertyMark, which represents estate agents, said the Government must support responsible landlords, or risk "making it even more difficult for people to secure and afford a home."

Council home tenants have the right to purchase their home after they have lived there for three years, with many councils using the proceeds to invest in new social housing.

New figures released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, show there were 27 Right to Buy sales in Cornwall in the year to March.

This was more than the 14 in the previous year.

Across England, there were 7,287 sales reported by local authorities, an increase of 5% compared to 2023-24.

From the start of the Right to Buy scheme in 1980, until March 2025, there have been over two million sales to tenants.

Current localised figures start from 2021-22 and show there have been 133 total sales in Cornwall.

These sales generated £3 million over the year to March, while Right to Buy sales have earned the authority £13 million since 2021-22.

Megan Eighteen, president of ARLA Propertymark, a membership association for estate agents, said encouraging homeownership and helping people onto the property ladder is "a goal worth supporting", but warned council homes are becoming more appealing to purchase as further demand grows.

She added: "The private rented sector and social rented sector are under significant strain, facing shortages of available homes while trying to meet growing demand.

"The private rented market has also been absorbing pressure from the underfunded social housing sector, stepping in to fill that gap.

"To address this, more investment is needed in social housing.

"At the same time, the UK Government should adopt a more balanced approach to the private rented sector, supporting responsible landlords and acknowledging their vital contribution to housing supply, rather than imposing financial penalties."

The figures also show there were 60 starts and acquisitions of new social homes registered in Cornwall in the year to March– fewer than the 91 a year earlier.

Across England, 3,593 new social homes were either purchased, or built in 2024-25 through receipts from Right to Buy sales, an increase of 4% compared with 2023-24.

Alistair Smyth, director of policy and research at the National Housing Federation, said: "Right to Buy has led to the loss of over two million social homes since its introduction and as these figures show, we continue to lose more social homes than we’re able to replace as a result of the policy.

"While a small increase in homes being replaced in some instances is welcome, it still falls short of what is needed to meet demand."

He said supporting people's ambition to own their own home "must not come at the expense of social housing".

"We welcome the Government’s reforms to the Right to Buy, including reducing discounts and ensuring that newly built social homes will be exempt from Right to Buy for 35 years," he added.

"This, alongside £39 billion of funding for new social homes announced at the Spending Review, will help to protect existing social homes and support building a generation of new social homes across the country."

The Government has said it will extend the minimum tenancy required to be eligible for the scheme from three, to 10 years, and exempt newly built social and affordable homes for 35 years.

An MHCLG spokesperson said: "Too many social homes have been sold off before being replaced which has directly contributed to the worst housing crisis in living memory.

"That’s why we’re making Right to Buy fairer by reducing discounts and increasing the minimum tenancy required to be eligible.

"This will ensure councils protect and increase their housing stock while keeping the pathway open for longstanding tenants to buy their own homes."