Council leaseholders

When that larger building or complex is owned by us you become a council leaseholder.

 

A lease is usually for a fixed period of time and is determined by us when the property is sold. Leases are for a maximum period of 125 years. If a leasehold property is later sold to someone else the lease is for the number of remaining years.

 

Secure council tenants have the right to buy.

Leaseholders pay a service charge to cover their share of the cost of the repairs and maintenance as well as improvements to the building. Examples of maintenance include:

A list of all service charges and their explanation is available to download at the bottom of the page.
The annual service charge will be set each year in April and charged monthly in advance. If you do not pay your service charge we can take action against you, and if you still do not pay, we can apply for a Forfeiture Order to repossess your home. If you get into trouble with your payments, please contact us immediately for debt help and advice.

We recommend you use direct debit because it is a secure and reliable way to make payments. There are a number of other payment options for leaseholders.

We will still be responsible for arranging repairs and maintenance for the building and shared areas. You will be responsible for repairs and maintenance to the interior of your property.

 

Follow this link to read more about responsibilities for repairs and maintenance.

If you purchased your property before 18 January 2005, you can sell it without telling us. Leases granted from that date include a clause that means you must offer us first refusal if you decide to sell the property.

We arrange building insurance and you pay for this with your service charge. If you need to check what the insurance covers or if you need to provide details of it to your mortgage lender, the policy document and schedule are available to download at the bottom of the page.
It is your responsibility to arrange your own contents insurance. From April 2014 , we are extending our contents insurance scheme to include leaseholders, and you will have the option to insure your possessions with us.

 

Please download and read the leaseholders handbook from the bottom of the page. It is a regularly updated, useful guide - giving full details on your rights and responsibilities as a leaseholder and also the different contact numbers you will need for reporting different issues.

If you are a leaseholder, like other people living in Luton, you have access to support and services from us. This includes access to adult social care services if you, or someone you live with, ever need care and support. Follow this link to find out more about care and support in Luton.