Your Leasehold
YOUR LEASE, YOUR RIGHTS AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Your lease is a legal agreement between the council (the landlord) and you. It is a contract between two parties which sets out the rights and responsibilities of both you the home owner and the landlord.
Like most legal documents it can be difficult to read and understand. We have included in the "Standard Lease", a plain English version of the lease.
This is in a summary form and is only there to help you, it is not the lease and has no legal status.
You should keep a copy of your lease in a safe place. If you lose it or need a further copy we can provide you with one. You will have to pay the costs of providing this to you.
It used to be that the lease would run for a period (term) of 125 years from the date of the first sale in the block. For example if the first flat was sold in 1990 and you bought your flat in 2000 your lease will be for 125 years from 1990, so you get 110 years. This has now changed and new leases are for 124 years and 9 months at least.
You have the right to extend your lease, contact the Homeowner team and ask for a leaflet "Lease extensions and Enfranchisement"
Management:
You have the right to expect your landlord to deal with any problems in your block or on your estate. This includes problems with nuisances like loud music, dumping of rubbish, parking etc.
Sub-letting and sharing your home:
You have the right to sub-let your home to another person either by renting the property out or granting an under-lease. You do not have to ask our permission to do this, but you must tell us you are doing this and should advise your mortgage lender of this.