Help & Support

You have the right to:

• Live in your home in peace and quiet
• Access your home (including any shared areas) at all times
• Be consulted about any long-term maintenance and improvement work
• Extend your lease
• Buy the freehold of a leasehold house

You must:

• Keep your home clean and tidy
• Pay your service charges and ground rent
• Allow us or our contractors to enter, insect or repair your home
• Keep your home free from vermin, such as mice and cockroaches
• Keep your garden tidy

As a leaseholder, you’re responsible for how your family and visitors behave. We want you and everyone around you to enjoy your homes, so you, your family and your visitors must not:

• Use your home or any shared area for any illegal activities
• Damage or graffiti the home
• Run a business from your home without our permission
• Leave things in a shared area, as this is a fire risk
• Put up structures (such as sheds or garages) without out permission
• Park anywhere on your home, except in defined parking areas
• Do major car repairs or park an illegal or unroadworthy vehicle around your home or on the road.
• Cause a nuisance or disturb other people
• Throw anything from a window, block or balcony

In turn we:​​​​​​

• Won’t change your lease without your permission
• Will tell you about any rent and service charges which must be paid
• Will tell you in advance about any changes to your rent or service charge
• Will consult you on how we manage your home and services
• Will consult you on any long term planned maintenance and improvement works we would want to do (as set out in Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985)

Check your lease for more information and detail.

Here are some of the questions we're asked the most. For more information, please check your lease or more information can be found the Leasehold Advisory website

I want to sublet my home. Do I need permission?
You should ensure that the lease allows you to sublet your home. There may be a pre-condition that you need permission from us before subletting. If so, you must get our permission first. We’ll look at the request fairly. If the lease does not allow permission, we may still be willing to allow it.

Do I need to ask your permission to make changes to my home?
A lease usually allows you to make changes or alterations. If the lease allows you to make changes, there may be a condition in the lease that asks you to get our permission first. Consent will not be withheld unreasonably. Some leases do not allow any changes. If this is the case you can ask us and we may be willing to vary the lease.

How do I get damage to the building repaired?
Check your lease to see if we’re responsible for the repair and contact us to let us know.

What’s a Section 20 notice?
You have the right as a leaseholder, to be consulted over any major work for which you will be asked to pay. There should be three stages to this:

• First Stage – a notice of intention to do the works
• Second Stage – notification of estimates obtained by us
• Third Stage – where relevant, notification of award of contract

Can I see the accounts to find out where my service charges are spent?
Yes, you can. We’d be able to provide end of year accounts. You have the right to request a summary of the service charge costs and to inspect receipts in relation to the last accounting year.

Can I challenge the costs of maintenance charges?
You can contact us and ask why the charges have gone up.

Who repairs the communal parts of the building and grounds?
In most leases the leaseholder is responsible for the internal parts of their flats. We’re normally responsible for communal repairs and grounds maintenance. Details of what you’re responsible for will be in your lease.

Why do I have to pay for roof repairs when I don’t own it?
As the roof is a communal repair, you’d be expected to contribute towards the cost. Normally, a Section 20 notice would advise you of this.

How can I get information on the building insurance paid through my service charge?
You can get this information by contacting us.

How do I apply to the tribunal and challenge my service charges?
To challenge any service charges you need to make an application to the tribunal and enclose a copy of your lease. You will need to fill in an application form to provide the basic information about the service charge. This can be done online. More information can be found on how to do this on the Leasehold Advisory website

Do I have to pay ground rent?
Your solicitor should have advised you on this when you bought your home.

Can we increase the service charge?
Your lease will specify if you pay a fixed or variable service charge.

What happens if I breach the terms of my lease?
If you’re found to be in breach of the lease a court could order you to pay damages, legal costs, and put right any breach. In serious cases we may seek possession of your home. This is known as forfeiture.