Council leaseholders

As a leaseholder, you're responsible for certain safety requirements:

• Gas: You must have your gas boiler and appliances serviced every year. Send copies of your certificate to the Leasehold Team.
• Electrics: You need an Electrical Safety Inspection Certificate for your property. Send copies to the Leasehold Team.
• Letterboxes and doors: Your letterbox must be present and working, and your entrance door must meet fire door regulations.
• Fire safety: Make sure you know the fire evacuation strategy for your building and follow the Clear and Safe - Safety in Communal Areas Policy
• Alterations: You must get permission before making any changes to your property (including a new front door, bathroom, kitchen, electrical rewire, or replumbing). Contact the Leasehold Team for the permission request form.

As a leaseholder, you're responsible for repairs and maintenance inside your property. We only carry out repairs to maintain the structure of the building.

You can report communal repairs:

• Phone Phone: 01484 414800 (8am-6pm, Monday to Friday)
• Phone Out of hours: 01484 414850

Large-scale repair works costing more than £250 have a consultation period of 3 to 12 months before work starts. During this time, the work goes out to tender. We'll keep you informed, and you can raise questions or observations.

You'll be charged after the work is completed. We'll send you an invoice at the mid-year reconciliation point.

Every March, you'll receive a letter breaking down your charges for the coming year. After the financial year ends, we'll send you an invoice showing the actual costs. This is usually within 6 months.

Ground rent (if payable) is due by the end of April each year. This is noted on your service charge letter. You can pay in full or by direct debit. If you need to pay for major works in instalments, contact the Leasehold Team to discuss options.

You'll be invoiced every March for buildings insurance. The Leasehold Team can send you a copy of the policy on request.

You'll also need contents insurance for your home. This can be arranged through our low-cost tenants home contents insurance scheme.

If you bought your home through Right to Buy and want to sell within the first 10 years, you must offer it back to us first. Use the express an interest in selling your home form.

When selling on the open market, give us the details of your solicitor. They'll need to request a solicitor's information pack (£150 plus VAT), which includes your service charge history for the last three years.

After the sale, a note of transfer is needed (£50 registration charge).

If you rent your property out, let us know and provide contact details for your tenants.