Leaseholders

If you’re a GCH leaseholder, information about your lease, rights and obligations can be found here.

If you have any questions for the leaseholder team, please contact them at leaseholders@gch.co.uk
Parklands homes

Rights and Responsibilities

As a leaseholder you have special rights and responsibilities for your home, some of which differ from a standard tenancy. Below you can see the unique rights and responsibilities you have as a leaseholder:

      Your Responsibilities:
  • Maintain your home and carry out any repairs within your property that you are responsible for.
  • Ask our permission if you wish to carry out any alterations to your home.
  • Ask our permission if you wish to sublet your home.
      Our Responsibilities:
  • Allow you to carry out your own improvements and alterations to the inside of your property (subject to permission being granted).
  • Carry out repairs (if the repair is your responsibility and not ours, we will explain this to you).
  • Consult you if we are planning to enter into any contracts or undertake any works that may impact your property. This is known as a Section 20 consultation, and you will receive a letter in the post advising you of this.

Below you can find more responsibilities for you, and GCH, as a leaseholder: 

Your Responsibilities:

  • Pay your service charge and rent (if any) in full and on time.
  • Ensure you have contents insurance in place.
  • Allow us access into your property after we provide you with the
    appropriate notice, so we can view its condition or carry out repairs that are
    our responsibility.
  • Treat your neighbours and the local community with respect.
  • For health and safety reasons, please ensure communal areas in your block
    are clear of personal belongings at all times. This includes prams, mobility
    scooters, bicycles, door mats and plants.
  • Update us if your circumstances or contact details change
  • Talk to us if you need any help or advice with affordability.
  • Treat GCH colleagues considerately and with respect. Violence or personally directed abuse is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated.

Our Responsibilities:

  • Provide buildings insurance.
  • Maintain and repair the structure of the building, any unadopted communal or
    shared areas, roads or grounds.
  • Make it easy for you to pay your service charge and rent, as well as any other
    charges.
  • Notify you in advance of any changes to your service charge or rent.
  • Let you know in advance if we need to visit your home for repairs or safety
    checks.

Leaseholder Essentials

Below you will find essential information for leaseholders.

Your relationship with GCH is governed by a legal document called a lease. This explains the rights and responsibilities for both you as the leaseholder and us as your landlord.

It is a legal contract that gives you the right to occupy the property for a set number of years, which is referred to as the “term” of the lease. We advise that you are aware of the term of your lease, as the term is always decreasing and some lenders may be hesitant to lend money for a mortgage where the lease term falls below 80 years.

If you have any queries about your lease term, please contact the leaseholder team.

Leaseholder

As a leaseholder, this means that you have entered into a Lease Agreement, which means that you do not own the freehold of the property and your tenancy/ownership is granted for a set number of years. As a leaseholder you do have the statutory right to extend your lease term by an additional 90 years; this has the advantage of increasing the value of your home and your ability to sell or re-mortgage your property. This would result in an increased lease term and a new lease to confirm this.

Lease extension

The lease runs from the original commencement date of the purchase/development.

99, 125, 250 and 900 year lease terms are common.

Each year the lease term reduces, and once this term has become 80 years or less you may find it more difficult to sell your property or re-mortgage unless you extend the term of your lease. You will need to pay legal costs and an amount of money called a ‘premium’ to do this. The premium amount is calculated on the basis on a valuation by a qualifies RICS Valuer.

Shared Owner

As a shared owner you have been granted a lease which confirms your co-ownership of your property with us. A lease means that you do not own the freehold of the property and your ownership is granted only for a fixed period of time. 

As a shared owner, you do not have the statutory right to extend your lease. Although you do not have the statutory right to extend your lease, we may be able to agree this on a voluntary basis. Please contact the leasehold team for more information on this.

What happens if I don’t extend my lease?

There is no requirement for you to extend your lease, and you can carry on living in the property until the term expires, when the property will return to being the property of GCH.

I’m a leaseholder, can I sub-let my home?

If you are a leaseholder, you may sub-let your home, and we request that you provide us with the following:

  • You have informed us, in advance and in writing of your intention to do so.
  • You have provided us with your forwarding address, email and phone number.
  • You have provided us with the names and contact details of your tenants, along with their signed tenancy agreement.

All sub-tenants must keep to the terms of your lease, and we recommend that you seek legal advice on your rights and obligations as a landlord as well as consulting your lender.

It is important to note that if there is a subsequent breach to the conditions of your lease, we will take action against you and not your sub-tenants.

I’m a shared owner, can I sub-let my home?

If you are a shared owner, you can only sub-let your home once you own all of the shares of your property (unless there are exceptional circumstances which we will need to discuss on an individual basis). At that point you will be the freeholder or the leaseholder (where you live in a flat) of the property and will be able to sub-let. In these circumstances the information above will apply.

Where can I get more information? You should seek independent legal advice. Further advice can be found on the Leasehold Advisory website www.lease-advice.org.

Adding and removing a name on your lease

If you wish to add or remove a name from your lease, you will need to instruct a solicitor to make any changes. Your solicitor will then liaise with GCH to arrange this.

Changing conditions of your lease

You may be able to change the conditions of your lease through a Deed of variation. Again, this is a legal process, and you would need to instruct solicitors, who would then liaise with GCH.

Please note to make any changes to your lease administration fees will apply, please refer to the fees page of the leaseholder handbook for more information. 

Buildings Insurance​

We’ll arrange the buildings insurance for your home. This covers structural damages such as fire and flood. The cost of the insurance is included in your service charge. Buildings insurance does not cover your personal contents – you’ll need your own separate insurance for this. ​

In the case of an emergency, we advise you take immediate steps, like boarding up or switching off gas, water or electricity.​

If you need to make a claim against the Buildings Insurance, please email us or in the event of an emergency, please call 01452 424344.​

In a situation where you are at fault for damages, we will exercise our right to be reimbursed for the insurance claim that must go through. ​

Contents Insurance​

We don’t provide insurance for your contents for your home. This is something you’ll need to arrange yourself. We recommend taking out contents insurance to ensure your personal belongings are protected in the event of any accidents or damage, such as leaks or fires.

Changes to your property

This section includes information on repairs, works and property modifications.

If you are a leaseholder, and you own 100% of the leasehold, you will need to put your property on the open market yourself. This is usually done through an estate agent. Once you have a buyer arranged, your solicitor should contact our Leasehold team by emailing leaseholders@gch.co.uk.

For shared owners, when thinking about selling your share, please contact the Leasehold Team who will be able to assist you in this process.

If you are struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments and your lender is considering repossession, we ask that you notify us immediately.

A Section 20 is a consultation process that we must undertake with you as a leaseholder if we wish to carry out works that will cost more than £250 or implement services that are likely to cost you more than £100 per year for more than 12 months.

Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires us to talk with leaseholder before carrying out any major works or making changes that will affect your service charges. This is to ensure that you are kept informed and give you the opportunity to ask any questions and share your views before any decisions are made.

Repairing responsibilities can differ depending on the terms of your lease. Your lease will identify what GCH are responsible for repairing and what you are responsible for.

Houses

You have complete repair responsibility. Any structural damage to your property should be referred to our building’s insurer. Please see the insurance section for further information.

Flats

As a homeowner, you are responsible for the repairs inside your home. If there are repairs that are needed in communal areas or to the structure of the property, i.e. the roof, please call us on 01452 424344.

New Builds

New-build properties will come with a defect period, where the developer is responsible for repair. Defects need to be reported to our contact centre who will send them on to the developer. Once this defect period is over, you become responsible for the repairs in line with the lease.

There is also a 10 year new-build warranty in place, in order to provide cover for defects that may not be visible, within the initial developer defect period. To make a claim, please contact the Leasehold Team.

Follow this link to report a repair online: www.gch.co.uk/report-a-repair/, or if the repair is an emergency call us on 01452 424344.

You are able to make cosmetic changes to your home without our permission, these include:

  • Painting and decorating
  • Handing decorations
  • Furnishings
  • Door hardware
  • Garden works in your garden (if you own one), such as planting and laying a patio (excluding decking)

You will need to seek permission for any alterations that involve changes to the structure, plumbing or wiring of the building. This includes window and door replacements, bathroom and kitchen upgrades, removing walls and installing decking.

If you would like to obtain permission for an alteration to your home, please email us.

Home and Community Safety

Find information about safety here.

Fire is a risk is all types of properties, and we share the responsibility for fire safety in your home. If your home is in a shared building, there are extra safety steps you need to take and the important fire safety information you need to be aware of.

Our Role

In shared buildings, such as blocks of flats, we are responsible for:

  • Making sure the safety features in shared area are working as they should, including any smoke or fire alarms.
  • Inspecting your front door on a regular basis to make sure everything is working as it should be.
  • Informing you of the fire evacuation process for your building.
  • Letting you know any actions we have taken to manage fire risk in your building.

Your Role

  • You should test your smoke alarm at least once a month to make sure it is working. If the alarm doesn’t sound, replace the batter (if your alarm is mains powered, please contact us immediately so that we can arrange to fix it).
  • Keep shared areas, such as corridors, free from personal belongings, as these can create serious hazards during emergencies. We will remove any items which are left in these area and will charge you if you if we remove your item from the communal areas. This includes bikes, pushchairs, e-scooters and mobility scooters.
  • If you live in a shared building, the fire escape plan will be detailed in the building’s fire evacuation plan and it is important that you follow this.
  • If you live in a home that is not part of a shared building, then you should develop your own escape plan.

Learn more about fires safety at GCH here.

You are responsible for taking measures to prevent damp and mould in your home. If you are concerned about damp and mould, you can visit our webpage for more information.

Safety is a priority, read more about home safety here.

We are committed to creating a safe and welcoming community. Anti-Social Behaviour affects everyone and can create distress or a feeling of insecurity.

Report or read more about what is antisocial behaviour here. 

Leaseholder Handbook

Our Leaseholder Handbook explains the services we provide. It’s for anyone who owns their home with us, whether you bought through Right to Buy or on the open market. It covers your rights, your responsibilities and ours as your landlord. This handbook is a guide not a legal document. If you have a legal question, please check your lease and get advice from a solicitor or advice service. If you need more information, just contact us.

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