Leaseholders

Your home is an important place.

Leaseholders buy the right to live in their property for a fixed number of years. The term of the lease, which can be up to 125 years, starts to decrease every year until it expires. When this happens, ownership of the property returns to us, your landlord, unless you apply to extend the lease.

With the freedom and independence of being a leaseholder, comes additional responsibilities. You normally own and are responsible for everything within the four walls of your property, with the exception of pipes and drains that also serve other properties.

As your landlord, we remain the owner of the overall building and the land it stands on and remain responsible for the maintenance and repair of the structure and exterior of the building.

Your lease

Your lease agreement sets out your rights and obligations in full. A copy of the lease should have been given to you by your solicitor when you purchased your property. Your solicitor should also have explained the main provisions of the lease to you.

If you would like more information on your rights and responsibilities, service charges or our responsibilities to you, please contact Customer Services on 020 3535 3535

Your repairs

As a leaseholder, we strongly advise that you arrange for safety checks to your own property. These need to be carried out by a qualified person.

We will conduct major repairs and planned improvement works to your home, dependent on your lease. Your lease tells you in detail who is responsible for repairing the various elements of your estate, block or house/flat. The information below gives you some guidance on repairs but is not meant to replace your rights and responsibilities as outlined in your lease.

You are generally responsible for repairs and maintenance to the interior of your home. For example:

• central heating (including annual gas servicing)
• water tanks in your flat
• internal walls, floors and ceilings
• doors, door frames and door hinges
• the glass in windows
• window catches, locks and sash cords
• plasterwork
• decoration
• air vents and extractor fans
• any internal blockages and overflows (e.g. sinks, baths, WCs, baths)
• leaks from within a flat
• all plumbing and electrical services.

If you live in a house you will also be responsible for any maintenance and repairs to the outside of the property.

We are committed to ensuring the neighbourhood you live in is a pleasant one. We take all reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and will take action where necessary.

Our Contractors

For more information about our planned programmes contractors, click the links below to be taken to their websites:

• www.keepmoat.com
• www.thameslabs.co.uk
• www.mearsgroup.co.uk