Right to Buy
Home Ownership - Services and Communal Repairs
Leasehold ownership is simply a long tenancy, the right to occupation and use of the flat for a long period - the 'term' of the lease. The ownership of the flat usually relates to everything within the 4 walls, including floorboards, and plaster to walls or ceilings, but does not usually include the external, lost space or structural walls.
The structure of the building and the land it stands on belongs to the landlord (the council).
What is a lease?
A lease is a private contract between the leaseholder and the landlord (the council). The lease sets out the contractual obligations of the 2 parties, what the leaseholder has contracted to do and what the landlord (the council) is bound to do.
Repairs and maintenance obligations
We are responsible for:
Communal areas
- Communal staircase or corridors
- Lifts
- Communal gardens and pathways
Structural and exterior repairs
- Foundations to the building
- External walls
- Roof
- Window frames
- External doors and frames
- Service pipes and ducts
The leaseholder will contribute a share of the costs incurred for this work.
The Leaseholder is responsible for:
- The floor surface including floorboards within the dwelling
- Wall plaster and plasterboards
- Ceiling plaster and plasterboards
- Glass to windows within the dwelling
- Internal non-structural walls
- Plumbing and wiring within the dwelling
