For Residential Leaseholders there are two ways you can buy the lease of your flat:
- Under the preserved Right to Buy or Right to Acquire schemes if you are a Golding Homes tenant. Visit the Golding Homes website for more information
- By buying the lease from the present leaseholder
In both cases you should get a solicitor to act on your behalf, and you will be responsible for paying the solicitors’ fees.
If you buy from from an existing leaseholder it is important that you are aware if there are any charges owed on the property so that you can ensure they are dealt with before the sale. You may have to pay some charges owed by the previous leaseholder if they are not cleared before the sale. A Notice of Transfer is sent to us from the purchaser’s solicitors, which is a requirement of your lease and the legal document to show that you are now the leaseholder.
Once you have bought your flat you may wish to let it to tenants, extend the term of your lease, or even consider buying the Freehold of the block or manage it with other leaseholders. Eventually, you may wish to sell your flat. Please read our Buying Letting and Selling Guide for more information.
If you sublet your property it is the law to check that your tenants have the right to live in the UK. Visit www.gov.uk for more information on how to do this.
Your lease is a legal contract between you and us.
- It gives you and your successors the right of possession of your flat for a long period, provided you keep to the terms of the lease
- It defines your building and estate and gives details about your flat and any garden or shed
- It explains your rights and responsibilities and our rights and responsibilities.
It is important you understand your lease and its conditions so please read your lease carefully and seek independent legal advice if there is anything you are unclear about.
Your lease is a legal document and you should keep it in a safe place. If you lose it we may be able to provide you with a copy but there will be a charge for this.
Find out more here by reading the Golding Places Your Lease document.
Every April you will receive a service charge estimate bill for the forthcoming financial year. You can pay this invoice amount in full within 30 days or you can pay monthly by arrangement. The accounts for the period are then reconciled so that we can send you a breakdown of actual charges in the following September. At this time you may be charged an additional amount or receive a credit on your account, depending on the actual costs of providing the services listed below compared to the amount you have been billed on the estimated invoice.
The service charge is made up of a number of different costs. Some costs are payable by every leaseholder, others will depend upon which services are provided to your block. For specific areas please read our Service Charges document.
If you think that you have been charged in error for a service or have any concerns about the charges then please contact us to discuss and we will be happy to deal with your query.
Your lease is a legal contract. If you refuse to pay your charges you are breaking the terms of the contract and we can apply to court for an order seeking payment of the monies due to us. Ultimately we can apply to the court to have your lease forfeited which may result in you losing your home.
As a leaseholder you are responsible for all repairs inside your property. We are responsible for carrying out repairs and maintenance to the communal areas, the outside areas and the structure and services of the building.
The Table of Repairs Responsibilities lists the more common items and who is responsible for them. Under the terms of your lease, any repairs we are responsible for will be recharged to you through your service charge. The cost of these repairs is recharged and shared across all the properties within the building.
Report a repair which is our responsibility
You must report any faults or damage immediately to us to prevent more serious damage occurring. You can call us on 0300 777 2600, fill in the online form on the Golding Homes website or email help@goldinghomes.org.uk. When you report a repair please advise that you are a leaseholder.
Emergency Out of Hours Service for Repairs which are our responsibility
When our offices are closed we provide an emergency out-of-hours service. Contact us on 0300 777 2600. We will respond to genuine emergencies only, which could cause injury, or damage to the property if not attended to immediately. We will get there as soon as possible. Please make sure your repair is a genuine emergency, otherwise you will be charged for the work.
Gas
If you smell gas, report it on the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 immediately.
We are responsible for the maintenance of the building and estate where your property is situated. This can be small-scale repairs, such as renewing a roof tile or replacing a communal front door. It can also include larger repairs and improvements, such as a new roof or windows, which are known as major works.
If we need to carry our major works or improvement to your building or estate we will send you a legal consultation notice. This is in accordance with the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, later amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. Read our Major Works guide for more information.
We have also put together some FAQs for the payment of major works bills.
Contents Insurance
Please note our insurance policy does not cover the contents of your home such as furniture, electronics, clothing etc. We strongly recommend that you take out home contents insurance to cover the theft or damage to your belongings. While many people often hope that nothing will happen to their belongings, sometimes things can go wrong unexpectedly.
Buildings Insurance
Where we have an insurance responsibility, usually as the freehold owner of an estate or block, we ensure buildings insurance is in place. This covers:
- – the fabric and structure of the building e.g. roof, walls, fixtures; and
- – damage caused by fire, escape of water, storm, flood etc. (details can be found on your buildings insurance certificate).
Where we are not the freehold owner of a block/estate or we do not have an insurance obligation, the responsibility for arranging building insurance cover normally sits with the freehold owner. If you are unsure of the building insurance cover arrangements for your home, information can be obtained by emailing the Commercial Services team.
Here you can download a copy of your buildings certificate: Building Insurance Summary Of Cover. This document only relates to properties of a particular tenure where we are the freeholder or we have an insurance responsibility (leasehold, shared ownership and commercial leasehold).
For more information about insurance, from making a buildings insurance claim to emergency out of hours losses please read our Insurance Guide.
As a leaseholder, you may from time to time require information or services from Golding Places for which there will be an administrative fee. View our administration fees document which outlines our associated administration charges in relation to leasehold services.
To report Anti-Social Behaviour please call or email us or complete an online form on our Golding Homes website.