Leasehold retirement information

Yes, we are members of the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM). Find out more about the ARHM code of practice on their website.

We are responsible for health and safety in communal areas and you are responsible for safety within your own home.

You can find lots of useful advice in this guide to home safety.

Giving us feedback 

If you are not happy with something we have done your first step should be to give us some feedback. 

You can do this by contacting the  leasehold customer support team: 

• Phone 0345 141 4663
• Email leaseholdCustomerSupport@homegroup.org.uk
• Speak with your scheme manager

Making a complaint 

We have all the information you need to make a complaint on our complaints and compliment page. 

If you own 100% of your home you can advertise it on the open market.

If you own a share of your home, we will need to help you sell it.

Contact our sales team

• Phone 0191 731 1445
• Email saleslr@homegroup.org.uk 

We will send you a pack with more information, including a form to complete.

Remember costs can vary when selling your home. 

It’s really important you speak to your mortgage provider (if applicable), an independent financial advisor, and your solicitor to make sure you understand all the costs and processes involved in selling before you go ahead. 

Right to Manage is the legal right for leaseholders in a block of flats to take over management of their building provided they meet certain criteria.

This involves setting up a Right to Manage company. There is no need to prove mismanagement on the part of the landlord or managing agent.  

Residents’ Associations are a great way to help us understand how you feel about the services we provide. Find out how to set one up here: Forming a Residents Association – ARHM 

The easiest way to make a payment or set up a direct debit is online using My Home Account:

• Login or create an account: My Home Account
• Call: 0345 141 4663

The services provided depends on your scheme and the terms of your lease.

You can find details about your service charge in your annual service charge budget. You will have received this in your pack when you bought your home. 

Here are some examples of what could be included in a service charge (this  is not a complete list):

• The cost of a scheme manager (if applicable)
• Water charges (where these are billed collectively instead of direct to you) 
• Our costs for managing the scheme, and for auditing and certification of the accounts 
• Repairs to the exterior of the building and all communal areas (including the scheme manager’s accommodation if applicable) and maintenance of scheme services (e.g. lifts, entry phone system, fire equipment, communal heating systems and emergency call systems)
• Lighting and heating of communal areas 
• Gardening and maintenance of the communal grounds (including access way, drive and car parking facilities)
• Window cleaning as per the lease or local arrangement 
• Cleaning communal areas 
• Health and safety contracts e.g. annual servicing of gas and electrical supplies and appliances in communal lounges or kitchens, fire risk assessments, alarms and associated works and legionella testing of communal water supplies
• Providing and maintaining the emergency call system and the associated monitoring service at a central control centre
• reserve fund
• Management fees 
• Buildings and public liability insurance 

Buildings and public liability insurance (including lifts where applicable) is included in your service charge and the policy is reviewed annually to make sure there is appropriate cover.

You will have been given the policy details when you bought your home, but please speak to your scheme manager or contact us if you need any more information. 

A management fee is included within the service charge and covers the cost of providing services to your estate/block. 

This will vary according to the type of home; for houses without any services, the charge will be lower than on a block of flats that have lots of services. 

Here are some examples of what might be covered (this is not a complete list):   

• Costs of employment of staff involved in management (excluding scheme-based staff) 
• Providing information to and dealing with enquiries from customers  
• Routine property inspections to check the condition and deal with minor repairs 
• Liaising with external management companies and freeholders where necessary 
• Management of complaints 
• Preparing specifications for minor works and services 
• Arranging and managing contracts and services 
• Carrying out periodic health and safety checks (excluding statutory specialist checks and tests) 
• Negotiating with local and statutory authorities where applicable  
• Arranging and reviewing risk assessment plans 
• Maintaining customer records 
• Carrying out consultations on management matters, major works and long term agreements 
• Liaising with residents’ associations 
• Collecting service charges and rent (where applicable) 
• Preparing and distributing service charge budgets/estimates  
• Providing management and service charge information to customers 
• Producing and circulating service charge accounts 
• Liaising with, and providing information to, accountants or auditors where required 
• Monitoring customer accounts to ensure prompt payment within the terms of the lease 
• Administering buildings and other insurance 
• Preparing replacement cost assessments on buildings and landlord's contents for insurance purposes 
• Providing a summary of cover and assistance with applications for insurance claims where required 

Some additional tasks are not covered by the management fee and will need an extra administration fee.

These activities generate extra work, so are not included in the management fee. They are either carried out at the request of individual customers or arise when we have to carry out special work at a particular address.

Here are some examples (not a complete list): 

• Consents for alterations 
• Consents for keeping pets 
• Sub-letting applications 
• Providing copy accounts 
• Providing a copy of the lease 
• Re-mortgages/further advances 
• Notice of assignment/transfer □ Leasehold extension/enfranchisement 
• Deed of Variation 
• Deed of Covenant 
• Professional fees for major works 
• Re-sales Arrears letters

Customers will be informed of the current charge for any of the above at the time of the request. In most cases the charge is payable in advance. 

This will depend upon the terms of your individual lease.  If you would like to make an alteration or adaptation to your home, you first need to ask our permission. We can then check the terms of your lease and in some cases the title deeds. 

Sometimes we need to consider additional factors such as planning or other regulations.

Please speak to your scheme manager or contact us to find out more. 

Your lease will tell you what repairs you are responsible for and what repairs we are responsible for. 

You will usually be responsible for all repairs inside your home, including services that are exclusive to your home (like water, gas and electricity supplies and drains, even where these are situated outside of the property). You’re also responsible for keeping any gas and electrical appliances within your own home in a safe condition and you should make sure that regular safety checks are carried out.  

We are responsible for the maintenance of the structure of the building as well as any common parts of the building and/or the estate where your home is situated. 

Here are a few examples: 

• Lifts 
• Communal gardens 
• Lighting and pipes 

Any repairs we carry out will usually be paid for through your service charge contribution. We always aim to carry out repairs as soon as possible, carrying out all appropriate background work, including checking any emergency situations and the legal consultation requirements. 

• Speak to your scheme manager if you have one 
• Phone 0345 141 4663 
• Report it online 
• Email LeaseholdCustomerSupport@homegroup.org.uk 

If you are a leaseholder, we must let you know if we plan to: 

• Carry out work that costs each leaseholder more than £250 per year 
• Enter into a contract to provide services for more than a year and that will cost each leaseholder more than £100 per year 

This process is called a  section 20 consultation. As part of this process you have the right to comment on the proposals and in some cases nominate alternative contractors. 

When we carry out a Section 20 consultation for relatively small contracts or works, you have the ability to influence the process by making observations and can nominate contractors.   

Stage 1 – Pre-tender stage notice of intention  

This details the work we intend to do or the contract for services we intend to enter into and the reasons why we feel this work or contract is required.  Residents can: 

• Nominate a contractor by the relevant expiry date 

• Make observations by the relevant expiry date 

Stage 2 – Tender stage notice of proposals (estimates)  

This details the results of the tender for the work (at least two quotes).  If you are a resident you can: 

• Make observations by the relevant expiry date 

Stage 3 – Notice of award of contract 

This details the contractor we have selected and our reasons why we have reached that decision.   There is no opportunity for further consultation at this stage. 

If we are entering into a large contract that requires public notice the consultation is slightly different as there are only two stages.  Although you will still be invited to make observations there is no right to nominate a contractor. 

We are the freeholder or in some cases the head leaseholder and the Leaseholders pay Home Group to manage their scheme for them.  It is therefore our duty to make sure it is well maintained and legally compliant and that the Reserve Funds are well managed and sustainable for the long term.   

We will always seek your views and encourage you to make observations through the section 20 process. But residents do not have the legal right to veto works or select contractors by ballot or any other means. 

An observation is a comment or suggestion about the works we are proposing or the results of the tender where the Leaseholder is seeking to influence our decision or change something.   Examples could be: 

• Can we include some additional extra work that needs doing at the same time as the works you are proposing?
• I don’t think we should do these works at the moment because… 
• Can you make XXXX changes to the specification of the contract? 
• I suggest you choose contractor A because they are cheapest 
• I suggest you don’t choose contract A because they have a bad reputation 

Observations must be submitted in writing by post or email: 

Email:  Leaseholdcustomersupport@homegroup.org.uk  

Post: Leasehold Retirement Team, Home Group,  33 Farringdon Rd, London EC1M 3JF or Leasehold Retirement Team, Home Group, One Strawberry Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BX

If you give your feedback to your scheme manager you will still need to put your observations in writing, using the details above, to be considered. 

You will not receive a direct or immediate response to your observation.  They will be summarised and addressed in the next stage of the consultation. 

We must have “due regard” for all observations made in the correct way within the timescales provided. This means we must consider your suggestions and provide a full response to you.     

It is important that you understand what is happening at your scheme. So please ask questions  throughout the process  such as: 

• Can I see a copy of the specification? 
• Does the specification include XXXX? 
• Will the costs of the work be met from the reserve fund? 

We will answer these questions straight away as they do not count as observations. 

You must nominate a contractor by post or email.  

Email  Leaseholdcustomersupport@homegroup.org.uk  

Post: Leasehold Retirement Team, Home Group,  33 Farringdon Rd, London EC1M 3JF or Leasehold Retirement Team, Home Group, One Strawberry Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BX 

We are only required to seek a quotation from one nominated contractor.     

If multiple contractors are nominated by individuals at the scheme, we will select one contractor at random to seek a quote from (as well as any contractors that we choose). 

If the Residents’ Association nominates a contractor, we will seek a quote from them plus a quote from one other nominated contractor if they are nominated by an individual from outside of the Residents’ Association.  

Leaseholders in blocks of flats in some circumstances have the legal right to join together to buy the freehold of their block. This process is known as collective enfranchisement. Buying the freehold means leaseholders can run their own affairs and have direct control over how their building is managed. The process can be complex and independent legal advice from a specialist should always be obtained.  

Most leases were originally granted for 99 years and the term of years will reduce unless the lease is extended.

As the number of years remaining on a lease reduce, the value of the property may decline and this could affect your ability to sell your property.

Under certain circumstances, leaseholders have a legal right to extend their lease and there is a statutory route to follow which is set out in legislation and a set term of additional years is granted.

However, in most cases we will agree to an informal extension which is less complex than the statutory route.

It is usually possible to extend the lease at the point of sale so this is not something you have to do during your ownership. A valuation (by a qualified, registered valuer) will determine how much you will need to pay to extend your lease and you will also need to pay all the legal costs involved.  

If the parties to a lease are unhappy with the terms of the lease, then they can agree to vary them by way of a formal deed of variation.

Both parties must agree to the variation so this will not normally be possible on a scheme where all of the leases need to be in the same form, unless all leaseholders agree

Alternatively, in some circumstances one of the parties can apply to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to have the terms varied. 

Retirement shared ownership is slightly different to standard shared ownership.

There are restrictions in the lease which mean there is a maximum percentage that can be owned, usually 70, 75 or 80%.  The purpose of this to ensure that the homes remain as affordable housing.