The affordable houses scheme operated through the council giving the developer lists of people eligible to buy an affordable house in that area.
However, if the first two people on the list rejected the house or apartment, the council was obliged to buy it from the developer at the agreed discounted price. The obligation then fell on the council to find a buyer.
The agreed price of the affordable house was generally set several months, and occasionally more than a year before the development was put on the market.
In 2008 the open market price of a development began to fall to where it was just nominally above the affordable house price. Buyers of affordable houses must pay a clawback to the council of the percentage of discount they received if they sell their house within 20 years. When the gap between the affordable house price and the open market price began to narrow, the prospect of being tied into a deal with the council for 20 years became less attractive.
However, when market prices began to dip below affordable prices, sales dried up altogether.