Leaseholder rights and responsibilities
You have the right to:
- Have possession of your flat for the life of the lease (provided you keep to the terms and conditions of the lease)
- Use communal areas and facilities, as set out in your lease
- Ask your landlord to keep the structure, exterior and common parts of your block in a fit state of repair (for example, the roof, gutters, drains, window frames and communal entrances and lighting)
- Be consulted about major work and improvements that you pay a share of the cost for
- Make alterations to the inside of your flat, as long as you do not remove structural walls or cause damage to the building (but you must get our permission for alterations and replacement of fixtures before starting work)
- ‘Quiet enjoyment’ of your home (you have the right to live peacefully in your flat without interference from your neighbours or landlord)
- Expect your landlord to deal with problems in your block, such as neighbour nuisance
- Sell your flat, rent it to someone else, or leave it to someone in your will
You are responsible for:
- Complying with the terms and conditions of your lease
- Repairing, maintaining and keeping in good order and condition the inside of the flat (this includes cisterns, boilers, wiring, gas and water pipes, plastering, glazing, window catches
- Maintaining to a reasonable standard any garden area (including hedges) leased with your flat
- Paying your share of the cost of managing, repairing, maintaining and improving your block and its communal areas
- Keeping communal areas clean and tidy
- Not doing anything that is likely to cause damage to the structure of the building or its shared services (such as plumbing, gas or electricity supplies or drains)
- Getting our permission, planning permission and/or building regulation approval for alterations you plan to do inside your flat, as the law requires
- Paying your service charges
- Allowing your neighbours quiet enjoyment of their homes
- Notifying the council, within 21 days, if you sell your flat and giving us details of the buyer and copies of legal papers
Read: Department for Communities and Local Government Guide To Your Rights And Responsibilities