If you have bought a council owned flat or maisonette you are now a leaseholder. This means that you have purchased the right to live in your property for a fixed number of years without having to pay rent (except ground rent of £10 per year). The lease is initially granted for 125 years.
The lease agreement you signed when you bought your flat or maisonette forms a binding contract, enforceable by law, between you and Hull City Council. It is important that you understand your lease agreement and the conditions it contains.
You should read your lease agreement carefully and if there is anything in it that you are unsure about get advice from a solicitor, Hull Advice or Citizens Advice Bureau.
Find out how to pay your service charge
You have a number of rights and responsibilities as a leaseholder.
Your rights
You have the right to –
- expect the common parts of your building to be kept in a good state of repair
- be consulted about major works for which you will have to pay a share
- make alterations to the inside of your flat, as long as you do not -
- remove structural walls or doors
- fit doors that do not have a fire resistance rating of 30 minutes or more
- cause damage to the outside or shared parts of the building
Your responsibilities
You must –
- not cause nuisance or harassment to your neighbours
- pay your share of the costs for managing, maintaining and insuring your block. If you do not pay your share, you are breaking your agreement and we could apply to the courts to have your lease forfeited
- not make any structural alterations or additions to your flat or do anything which is likely to damage the structure of the building or to shared services. If you want to carry out any work which may affect the rest of the building, you must first get our permission in writing
- keep the interior of your home in good repair. This includes internal doors and frames, floorboards and internal plaster to walls and ceilings. It also includes keeping your home in good decorative order
- not use your flat for any purpose other than a private residence for the occupation of a single household
- not keep any animal or reptile within your flat
- insure the contents of your home and also the fixtures and fittings, such as kitchen units and bathroom suites
We also have a number of rights and responsibilities.
Our rights
We have the right to enter your home to carry out -
- repairs which could be a danger to other residents or visitors if left
- works to the common parts or the structure
In both cases, we would give you reasonable notice but we can enter immediately in an emergency.
We have the right to carry out –
- the supervision and management of your building
- the repair and maintenance of the building’s structure. This includes both interior and exterior parts of the building
- improvement works to the building
We will consult you about changes to management arrangements and about major repairs and improvements, before we commit to such decisions.
We have the right to make charges for –
- ground rent
- management costs
- services provided
- repairs and maintenance
- improvements
- building insurance
Our responsibilities
We must -
- keep the building's structure in good repair
- consult with you about any single works or improvements to your block that are likely to cost you more than £250
- consult with you before we enter into a long term agreement with a contractor to provide services, or to carry out repairs that may cost you more than £100 in any one year. We then have to consult with you again, if we carry out any works under the long term agreement
- rebuild or reinstate your flat and the building in the case of destruction by fire, tempest or flood. We must therefore insure the whole building by either a self insuring budget or through an insurance company
- collect ground rent and raise service charges to cover your share of the cost of repairing, maintaining and managing your building
