Your lease sets out your rights and responsibilities as a leaseholder.
There is more information about this on the GOV.UK website: Leasehold property - GOV.UK
Leases may vary in certain details but the following are standard:
Your rights
You have the right to:
- be fully consulted about building work, long-term agreements, major works and charges or anything that may affect your property
- claim a service charge loan (conditions apply) during the first ten years of becoming a leaseholder after completing your Right to Buy purchase
- seek advice, dispute an issue or challenge service charges at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
- purchase the freehold of the building through leasehold enfranchisement (if you meet certain statutory conditions)
Your responsibilities
As a leaseholder it is your responsibility to:
- pay service charges and ground rent on time
- get a gas safety check every year
- keep the internal parts of your property in a good condition
- seek our permission before carrying out any structural alterations or improvements to your property
- seek our permission before sub-letting the property
- not cause nuisance or annoy your neighbours or other people living close by
- give access to your property for us to carry out necessary work
- not breach the buildings insurance policy
- use the property for residential purposes only
- tell us if you're selling or remortgaging
Paying service charges and ground rent
Leaseholders are required to pay annual ground rent and service charges. These are a contribution towards services or works provided to the block or estate where your property is located.
Shared owners may also become liable for service charges. They also pay rent on the percentage they don't own.
Freeholders of council houses may receive a service towards the district heating or maintenance of any communal areas. You are then liable to contribute towards these through service charges.
More information: Service charges and ground rent
Gas safety
You are required by law to have a gas safety check and get a gas safety certificate every twelve months. You must get this from a gas safe registered engineer for all pipe work, gas appliances and flues installed at your property.
Internal condition
We are responsible for maintaining the structure of the building you live in and for communal areas around the estate. You pay your share of the cost through your service charges and ground rent.
You are responsible for maintaining the inside of your property, including:
- decorating regularly
- maintaining internal plumbing
- electrical wiring
- gas pipes, boilers and central heating (unless you are connected to a communal / district heating system)
More information: Housing repairs for leaseholders
Alterations
Alterations to the structure or fabric of the property cannot be made without obtaining getting our written approval.
More information: Making alterations to your home as a leaseholder
Sub-letting
You must advise us if you want to sub-let your property and provide your correspondence address and contact details. Your tenants must sign a deed of covenant agreeing to comply with the requirements of the lease. You will still be responsible for:
- paying service charges
- maintaining the property
- the behaviour of your tenants, their family members and visitors
Nuisance
You must not cause a nuisance from your property. This includes things like:
- playing televisions and radios at unreasonable levels
- harassment of neighbours
- using the property for illegal purposes
- failing to control pets
- obstructing communal areas with items
This can result in a breach of lease and we may take legal action against you.
Access
Council officers or contractors have the right to enter your property to carry out inspections, repairs and maintenance works. This includes for communal services that run through any property or block. We will give you at least 48 hours’ notice before doing this. However, in the event of an emergency this period may be shorter.
Insurance
We arrange insurance cover for the structure of your property and communal areas. This includes cover for accidental damage such as fire, storm damage, flooding and subsidence.
More information: Buildings insurance
You need to arrange insurance cover for your own building contents.
Use of property
Your property can only be used for residential purposes. Holding a sale, auction or running a business from the property is not permitted.
Selling and re-mortgaging
You must notify us within one month if you sell or re-mortgage your property.
If a purchase was made under the Right to Buy scheme, and the sale is within the discount repayment period, you will be required to repay some, or sometimes all, of the discount you initially received.
