Council leaseholders

Council leaseholders

When you buy a flat or maisonette from the council it is sold to you with a long lease and you become a leaseholder.

The lease is a legal contract between you and the Council, giving you ownership of the property for a fixed period of time.  In this and all legal documents you will be referred to as the tenant. GOV.UK offer a comprehensive guide for leaseholders.

View the council leaseholder policy and major works repayments guides

Your rights and responsibilities

Your lease will set out your rights and responsibilities as a leaseholder.

Leases may vary in certain details but the following are standard:

Your rights

You have the right to:

Your responsibilities

As a leaseholder it is your responsibility to:

  • pay service charges and ground rent on time
  • keep the internal parts of your property in a good condition
  • seek our permission before carrying out any structural alterations or improvements to your property
  • seek our permission before sub-letting the property
  • not cause nuisance or annoy your neighbours or other people living close by
  • give the Council and its operatives access to your property for us to carry out necessary work (for example, if we need to carry out work in a loft)
  • not breach the buildings insurance policy.

You can find more information for leaseholders on GOV.UK or the First Tier Tribunal (Property-Chamber).

Leasehold services

This team provides help and advice to leaseholders across the borough via:

You can contact us in the following ways:

  • email - we will respond within 10 working days.
  • telephone: 020 8583 3787 - Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. 

 

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