Leaseholder rights and responsibilities

You can also find out more on the your lease page.

Access

We have the right to enter your flat to carry out repairs, inspections and maintenance work to the property or the services that run through it. We must give 48 hours written notice, except in emergencies.

Alterations

You cannot make any alterations or additions to the structure or appearance of the flat or building (either internally or externally) without our written consent.

Find out more about home improvements.

Anti-social behaviour

Clauses in the lease include:

not to annoy, be a nuisance to or cause damage to us or other residents
to keep pets under proper control
not to use the premises for any illegal or immoral purposes
to keep the floors of the flat covered with suitable material (eg carpets, underlay) to reduce noise
not to obstruct or leave any rubbish in any communal areas, apart from in the bins.

Extend the lease

Find out about extending your lease

Inflammable materials

You must not store materials that can catch fire easily, other than what you reasonably need for domestic use. No inflammable materials, including gas bottles may be kept in buildings with two or more floors.

Insurance

We must arrange insurance cover for the building. This covers the structure and communal areas against any accidental damage such as fire, storm damage, vandalism, flooding (including burst pipes and roof leaks) and subsidence. You should arrange your own contents insurance.

Parking

You must not park any motor vehicle or caravan in any garden, forecourt, roadway or pathway next to or near the building, without our written permission.

Payment of service charges, ground rent and other rates and charges

You must pay:

ground rent (set at £10 per year)
service charges – (your contribution towards the cost of any services or work to the building your home is in and the grounds or estate around it)
other amounts which may be charged for the flat (eg council tax and water rates)
our costs and charges in dealing with any nuisance in the flat, or breaches of the lease or in dealing with applications for granting consents (e.g. for alterations to the property)

If you fail to pay your service charges you would be breaking the terms of your lease agreement and this could result in legal action being taken against you.

Buying the freehold

The right to purchase the freehold of the building is a right which is given in addition to those in the lease.

Groups of leaseholders who satisfy certain conditions (about eligibility and the number of leasehold flats in the building) can get together and purchase the freehold.

Read about buying the freehold

Repairs and maintenance

The council is responsible for maintaining the outside of the block, the structure and the communal areas.

You are responsible for maintaining the inside of your home.

Selling

You can sell your flat whenever you wish, but if you bought your flat under the Right to Buy scheme and then sell it within the discount repayment period (currently five years), you must repay some or the entire discount. You must also offer to sell it back to the council first if you bought it under the Right to Buy scheme less than ten years ago

You must also give notice of any sale or (re)mortgage within one month. The new leaseholder must also enter into a Deed of Covenant with the council to agree to follow the conditions of the lease.

Subletting

You can sublet your property, but you will have to register it with us and let us know your new correspondence address.

You will probably have to get permission from your mortgage lender
You will still be responsible for paying the service charges and you will still be responsible for both the property and the way that your tenants and their family and visitors behave
There are also certain conditions which you have to meet in order to comply with the buildings insurance policy
You will be responsible for landlords duties under the gas safety regulations

Statutory rights

You have other rights in addition to those set out in the lease:

Along with tenants, you have the right to manage your estate or area through a tenant management organisation under the Right to Manage (1994) legislation
You can extend the term of your lease
Groups of leaseholders who satisfy certain conditions can get together and purchase of the freehold. This is also known as ‘collective’ or ‘leasehold’ enfranchisement
The right to seek recognition for a tenants' association (RTA)

You also have various legal rights in relation to service charges:

They must be fair and reasonable, and you have the right to challenge their reasonableness & the standard of works or services at the First Tier Tribunal
We must consult you before carrying out major works to your block/estate
We must consult you before entering into certain long-term agreements for works/supplies/services with outside contractors
Demands for payment must be within time limits
You are entitled to obtain a summary of the costs on which your service charge is calculated, and to view the accounts, receipts and other documents on which the summary is based
You also have the right to appoint a qualified auditor to undertake a management audit

Use of premises

The property can only be used for residential purposes. You cannot:

use it for any illegal or immoral purpose
hold any sale by auction in the property
run a business from the property
display outside or in the windows of the property any nameplate, notice, sign or announcement