Leaseholders' Handbook - Plymouth Community Homes

Leaseholders’ Handbook

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Contents 

Electronic version: please click on any section above to go directly to the relevant page 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

About Plymouth Community Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 

What is Leasehold? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Not all leases are the same . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Rights and responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Service Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Consultation on work to be done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Payment methods for major works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Having problems with payments? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Applying for benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Supporting People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Disagreements, Comments, Complaints and Praise . . . . . . . . .22 

Plymouth Community Homes Customer Charter . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Buildings Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Caretaking Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 

Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 

Gas and Electrical Servicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 

Nuisance and Anti-Social Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 

Resident Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 

Buying the freehold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 

Subletting your flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 

Selling your flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 

What happens when the lease ends? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 

Will Plymouth Community Homes buy back my flat? . . . . . . . . .35 

Plymouth Community Homes Leasehold Team . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 

Useful Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 

Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 

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Introduction 

from the Chief Executive of Plymouth Community Homes 

Welcome to the first Plymouth Community 

Homes Leaseholdersʼ Handbook, something 

we promised in the Leaseholder Offer 

Document. 

Since the transfer in November 2009 we 

have been working hard to improve the 

services we offer to all our customers. We 

value the support you have given Plymouth 

Community Homes and the trust you place 

in us. 

This handbook gives you information about 

your rights and responsibilities, service 

charges and payment methods. 

We also offer clear guidance on how to 

comment or complain and how to deal with 

any financial issues. You will find information 

on some services that may be of interest to 

you. These include caretaking services, our 

process for dealing with anti-social behaviour 

and a detailed list of other useful contacts. 

We have achieved much as a new organisation but there is still a lot for us to do. 

We particularly want to improve communication with you to help create better 

services. 

I hope you find this handbook helpful. 

Many thanks 

Clive Turner 

Chief Executive 

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5

About Plymouth 

Community Homes 

Plymouth Community Homes is a new not-forprofit 

housing association. It was set up in 2009 to 

take over the ownership and management of about 

15,000 properties from Plymouth City Council. It is 

a registered provider of social housing and is the 

largest housing association in Plymouth. 

Plymouth Community Homes is a registered 

charity. It is run by a Board made up of 12 unpaid 

members who make the main decisions. The 

Board is currently made up of three tenants, one 

leaseholder, four people nominated by Plymouth 

City Council and four independent people. 

We currently have about 1,500 residential 

leaseholders. 

What are the core values and objectives of 

Plymouth Community Homes? 

Plymouth Community Homes aims to offer the best 

possible standards and service to its customers 

and applies the following values to all it does: 

The association is committed to being: 

• Innovative 

• Ethical 

• Responsive 

• Inclusive 

We have adopted the following objectives: 

• Provide better places to live 

• Put residents first 

• Be a good place to work 

• Provide excellent leadership 

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6

Our offices 

Our Head Office is in the city centre: 

Plymouth Community Homes Head Office 

Princess Court 

23 Princess Street 

Plymouth 

PL1 2EX Tel. 0800 694 3101 

Opening Hours 

Monday to Thursday 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Fridays 

8.30am - 4.30pm 

We currently have four main housing offices 

which are located in different parts of Plymouth: 

Devonport Housing Office 

10-12 Granby Way 

Devonport 


PL1 4AB Tel. 0800 917 9497 

Estover Housing Office 

Leypark Walk 

Estover 


PL6 8UE Tel. 0800 917 9496 

North Prospect Housing Office 

91-93 North Prospect Road 

North Prospect 


PL2 2NA Tel. 0800 917 9499 

The opening times for Devonport, Estover, North 

Prospect and Whitleigh are: 

Monday 

8.45am - 4.30pm 

Tuesday 

8.45am - 4.30pm 

Wednesday * 8.45am - 4.30pm 

Thursday 

8.45am - 4.30pm 

Friday 

8.45am - 4.00pm 

* Please note that the four offices do not open 

until 10.30am on the 2nd Wednesday of the 

month and 12.30pm on the 4th Wednesday of 

each month – this is for staff training. 

Whitleigh Housing Office 

101 Whitleigh Green 

Whitleigh 


PL5 4DE Tel. 0800 917 9498 

To contact a staff member who you know by name email: 

firstname.surname@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

Or you can contact us with general enquiries by emailing: info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

Or visit our website: www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

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7

What is Leasehold? 

If your home is a flat or maisonette, it is part of a 

larger building which is divided up into individual 

units. There may be another property above, below 

or next to yours, but still within the same building. 

Leasehold ownership is defined as ownership of a 

property that is not independent, but shares 

things like the roof, the foundations, the entrance 

halls and stairs of the building. The shared parts 

of the building need to be looked after for the 

benefit of all the individual residents and the costs 

will be shared amongst them. 

Your lease is a type of tenancy and is a legal 

agreement between you and your landlord, 

Plymouth Community Homes. It allows you to live 

in your home for a set period of time. This is usually 

a period of 125 years, starting from when the first 

property in your building was sold. This is known 

as the lease term. 

If you bought your home on the open market, the 

seller will have transferred the rights and 

responsibilities to you under the lease for the rest 

of the term. 

Your lease sets out the terms of the contract that 

you have with your landlord. It gives you certain 

rights and responsibilities. It also gives your 

landlord rights and responsibilities. These are 

explained in greater detail later on in this 

handbook. 

The terms of a lease cannot usually be changed 

by either party without the otherʼs consent. The 

government sometimes makes changes to 

leasehold legislation and this can override the 

terms of existing leasehold agreements. 

Your solicitor will normally give you a copy of your 

lease when you buy your home. If you borrowed 

money to buy your property your lender will 

probably hold the original document. If you do not 

have a copy of the lease you will be able to get 

one from the Land Registry in Plymouth. 

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8

Not all leases are the same 

Not all Plymouth Community Homes leases are 

the same. 

Each lease is prepared by using a standard set of 

terms and conditions. The nature of construction 

and type of tenancy varies considerably between 

flats in a block and those that are half-house flats. 

A different standard lease is used for each. 

In addition, as housing legislation has changed 

over the years it has become necessary to amend 

some of the standard terms and condition of the 

new leases to ensure they are up to date. 

This means that it is possible for your next door 

neighbour to have a slightly different lease to your 

own. However, we will always try to manage your 

property in accordance with the individual terms of 

your own lease. 

Plymouth Community Homes would be very happy 

to look at all leases in a block if all parties wish to 

have their lease changed. 

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9

Rights and responsibilities 

The lease sets out which part of the property is 

owned by Plymouth Community Homes and which 

part by the leaseholder. It also explains who is 

responsible for maintaining and repairing different 

parts of the property. 

We cannot explain every part of your lease here, 

because the details may vary in individual leases. 

However, the next few pages outline common 

rights and responsibilities for Plymouth Community 

Homes and yourself. 

Plymouth Community Homesʼ Responsibilities 

• To maintain and repair the structure, exterior 

and common parts of the building, including 

drains and external pipes. 

• To give reasonable notice to residents if access 

is required to the premises. This will usually be 

at least 48 hours, except in cases of extreme 

urgency. 

• To keep the building insured to the full cost of 

re-instatement. (This policy is for buildings only 

and does not include contents. Leaseholders 

will need to arrange insurance for their contents 

separately.) 

• To consult leaseholders before carrying out 

major works to the building. 

• To keep proper accounts of all costs and 

expenses incurred in carrying out its 

obligations. 

• To manage the block and estate in a proper 

and reasonable manner. 

Plymouth Community Homesʼ Rights 

• To enter the premises, with or without workmen, 

at reasonable times, to examine the condition 

of the premises and the right to issue a notice 

specifying any repairs or works necessary to be 

carried out by the leaseholder. 

• A right of access and entry upon the premises 

for the proper performance of its obligations. 

Leaseholdersʼ Responsibilities 

• To pay ground rent and service charges, 

including payment for major works. 

• To keep the interior of the flat in a good state of 

repair. 

• To keep the windows of the flat properly cleaned. 

• Not to make any structural alterations or 

additions, including new windows, without the 

prior written consent of Plymouth Community 

Homes. 

• Not to use the premises for any illegal or 

immoral purpose. 

• Not to use the property for any trade or 

business purpose and only to use it as a private 

residential flat. 

• Not to do anything which may be a nuisance, 

annoyance or cause damage or inconvenience 

to either Plymouth Community Homes or any 

other resident. 

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10

Leaseholdersʼ Responsibilities (continued) 

• Not to cause an obstruction in any of the 

communal areas of the property. 

• To give reasonable notice before accessing 

other parts of the property to carry out repairs or 

maintenance that the leaseholder is responsible 

for. This should be at least 48 hours unless in 

cases of extreme urgency. If whilst doing the 

work any other part of the property becomes 

damaged, this must be made good by the 

leaseholder. 

• To permit Plymouth Community Homes and the 

owners of other flats to access and enter the 

premises to fulfil their obligations. 

• To comply and observe any regulations which 

Plymouth Community Homes may make to 

govern the use of the flats and the reserved 

property. 

• To pay a sum to Plymouth Community Homes if 

the flat is sold within 5 years of exercising the 

Right to Buy. 

• If you wish to sell the flat within 10 years of 

purchasing under the Right to Buy you must 

first give Plymouth Community Homes the 

option to buy the flat. 

• Not to erect any external wireless or television 

aerial or any pole or flagstaff. 

• Not to place a window box outside any of the 

windows without the prior written consent of 

Plymouth Community Homes. 

• To keep properly cleaned and tidied any parts 

of the property that were your responsibility as 

a tenant prior to completion of the Right to Buy. 

• To pay a reasonable proportion of the expense 

of repairing and maintaining all unadopted 

private roads and footpaths on the estate. 

• To observe all the terms and regulations set out 

in the lease. 

Leaseholdersʼ Rights 

• To peaceably hold and enjoy the premises for 

the term of the lease. 

• Access to the communal parts of the property. 

• Passage of gas, electricity, water, etc, to and 

from the premises. 

• To use communal apparatus installed for 

television reception. 

• To use any communal facilities that have been 

provided in the property, including those in the 

communal areas. 

• To be consulted if any repair or maintenance is 

planned that will cost a leaseholder more than 

£250. 

• To be consulted if Plymouth Community Homes 

plans to sign a contract with a supplier to provide 

a service that will cost any leaseholder more 

than £100 per year. 

• To challenge service charges. 

• Leaseholders of a block of flats have the right 

to take over the management of their block. 

Speak to your solicitor or other legal advisor for 

advice. 

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11

Service Charges 

Annual Service Charge 

The annual service charge is the money that you 

pay towards the day-to-day running costs of your 

block of flats. 

You do not pay anything towards services or repairs 

that are provided solely for the benefit of Plymouth 

Community Homes tenants or individual properties. 

Leaseholders and tenants usually pay an identical 

amount each year for the cost of services that are 

provided to a particular block. We can only make 

reasonable service charges and the services or 

work we do must be of reasonable standard. We 

will give you a statement of account showing what 

is included in your service charge. 

How are variable charges calculated? 

The service charge is a variable charge. This 

means that you will be sent an invoice to pay dated 

1st April each year and this will cover the cost of 

providing services to your block for the next 12 

months. Therefore, these charges are payable 

annually, in advance. 

Each year we will estimate the sum we are likely to 

spend in providing services to you over the coming 

year. That will be the service charge we will ask you 

to pay for the year. At the same time, we will work 

out how much we have actually spent on providing 

services for you in the previous period. If we have 

overcharged you we will reduce your service charge 

for the coming year. If we have undercharged 

you, we will increase your new service charge. 

Depending upon the services provided to 

your particular block, the annual service 

charge could cover: 

Caretaking 

Heating, lighting and cleaning 

of communal areas 

Communal TV aerial maintenance 

Door entry systems 

Grounds maintenance of communal areas 

Buildings insurance 

Management costs 

Fire safety equipment 

Window cleaning 

Lifts 

Communal laundry 

Annual service charge invoices usually 

consist of 5 separate elements: 

Ground rent 

A charge for services 

Buildings insurance premium 

Administration / Management Charge 

Adjustments for previous periods 

You will only be charged for those services 

which are provided to your block of flats. 

Please note, however, that you will be 

charged for all services that are provided 

to your block, whether you use them 

or not as per your lease agreement. 

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Paying the annual service charge 

All leases state that service charges should be 

paid within 21 days of an invoice being sent for 

payment. This can be done: 

• By debit or credit card payment – these can be 

made by telephone, 24 hours a day everyday, 

by telephoning 0800 917 9456 or online by 

accessing Plymouth Community Homes 

website: www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

• By standing order 

• At local housing offices 

• At the Civic Centre 

Plymouth Community Homes is happy for 

leaseholders to spread the cost over several 

months as long as this is agreed in advance. The 

amount of the monthly payment and the number 

of months over which payment can take place will 

depend on the size of the invoice. Please contact 

the Leasehold Team for more information. 

Maintenance and repairs 

Leaseholders are liable to pay a proportion of the 

cost of any repairs or maintenance that is carried 

out to the structure or communal parts of the 

property. The proportion is detailed in the lease 

for each flat. 

If any major work is carried out - this is where a 

leaseholder must pay more than £250 - Plymouth 

Community Homes will ensure that the correct 

statutory consultation takes place. This is explained 

later in this handbook. There are a number of 

payment options for major work and these are 

listed in a later section ʻPayment methods for major 

worksʼ (see page 16). 

If any smaller day-to-day repairs or maintenance 

are carried out each leaseholder in the block will 

receive an annual invoice for a proportion of the 

total cost. Invoices for this are sent annually on 

30 th September and include repairs that were 

completed in the previous financial year. They are 

payable within 21 days, although monthly 

instalment plans can be agreed in a similar way to 

those for the annual service charges. 

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13

Consultation on work to be done 

The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 

2002 changed the way landlords need to consult 

with leaseholders. Plymouth Community Homes 

must ensure: 

• You are consulted before any major works begin 

for which you have to make a contribution and 

which will cost any leaseholder in the block more 

than £250. 

• You are consulted on certain long-term 

agreements or contracts that Plymouth 

Community Homes intends to enter into, that 

last more than 12 months, and cost any 

leaseholder more than £100 a year. 

The consultation process is as follows: 

For major work 

• A Notice of Intention is sent to all affected 

leaseholders informing them of our intention to 

carry out the work. A description of the proposed 

work will be included and you will be invited to 

put forward the name of a contractor who you 

think should be asked to provide an estimate. 

You have 30 days to make any written comments 

about the Notice of Intention. 

• All written comments received must be 

considered by Plymouth Community Homes and 

an estimate must be obtained from at least one 

of the contractors nominated by leaseholders. 

• A second Notice (Section 20) will then be sent to 

you giving an estimated cost from at least two 

contractors and your likely contribution. All the 

estimates will be available for inspection and a 

summary will be included of any written 

comments received. You then have a further 30 

days to make any written comments. 

• Again, all comments must be considered by 


• The contract will then be awarded to the 

successful contractor. We will write again within 

21 days to provide you with details of this. 

However, we do not have to write if the chosen 

contractor has been suggested by a 

leaseholder or was the lowest estimate. 

For long term agreements 

• These could include, for example, decoration, 

roof repairs and replacement, concrete repairs, 

damp remedial work or asbestos removal. 

• All leaseholders will be sent a Notice of Intention 

which will describe the works or services to be 

provided. You will be allowed 30 days to make 

any written comments and to nominate anyone 

you think we should ask to provide an estimate. 

• Plymouth Community Homes must consider 

any comments and obtain an estimate from at 

least one of the contractors nominated by 

leaseholders. 

• Once the proposals for the contract are in place 

a notice will be sent to each leaseholder giving 

a further 30 days for any written comments. 

• Plymouth Community Homes must consider 

these comments. 

• The contract will then be awarded. We will write 

to you again within 21 days to provide details of 

this. However, we do not have to write if the 

chosen contractor has been suggested by a 

leaseholder or was the lowest estimate. 

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14

European Union (EU) Procurement Rules 

For contracts that require Public Notice under EU 

regulations Plymouth Community Homes is only 

required to allow comments and observations, not 

the nomination of a contractor. 

Major Works carried out under a Long-Term 

Agreement 

If we want to carry out major works under a longterm 

agreement entered into with a contractor, 

affected leaseholders will receive further 

consultation as follows: 

• If the cost of the work is likely to be more than 

£250 to any one leaseholder in the block, all 

leaseholders will be sent a Notice of Intention. 

The Notice will describe the works and include 

an estimate of the contribution that the 

leaseholder will be required to pay. 

• Leaseholders have 30 days in which to make 

any written comments. 

• Plymouth Community Homes must consider any 

comments received and send a written reply. 

Urgent Works 

Urgent works can be allowed to go ahead without 

consultation if it is felt to be reasonable to dispense 

with the requirements. This may apply to works 

which are very urgent, for example on the grounds 

of health and safety. 

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15

Payment methods for major works 

Plymouth Community Homes leases say that all 

service charge invoices should be paid in full within 

21 days of issue. 

Plymouth Community Homes is pleased to offer a 

flexible range of payment options for those 

leaseholders who live in their flats as their principal 

home (your main address) and who face difficulties 

paying in full within 21 days. These are: 

• To pay by a Deferred Payment Plan of up to 3 

years. Regular monthly payments are made and 

no interest is charged to leaseholders. 

• To pay by a Deferred Payment Plan of between 

3 and 5 years by regular monthly instalments. In 

this case Plymouth Community Homes will take 

a Legal Charge over the flat as security and 

legal costs will be charged to the leaseholder. 

Interest is payable on this type of Deferred 

Payment Plan. 

• For leaseholders who are over the age of 60 it 

will be possible to pay interest only on the 

amount of the invoice. In this case, Plymouth 

Community Homes will take a Legal Charge 

over the flat and the cost of this can be paid 

separately or added to the amount of the 

invoice. The amount of the invoice must be 

paid when the property is either transferred to a 

third party or sold. 

• For those leaseholders who are in genuine 

hardship, because they are on very low incomes 

or in receipt of certain benefits, an application 

can be made for assistance from the Service 

Charge Hardship Scheme. This scheme does 

not take away the responsibility for paying the 

invoice, but allows those who qualify to pay an 

agreed regular amount that they can afford until 

the account has been fully paid. 

Those leaseholders who do not live in the flat as 

their principal home must pay all major works 

invoices in accordance with the terms of the lease 

for their flat. This means that full payment must be 

made within 21 days. 

Plymouth Community Homes will accept 

whatever choice of principal home a leaseholder 

has registered with HM Revenue and Customs. 

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16

In certain circumstances, it may be possible for a 

leaseholder to apply for a Service Charge Loan, 

under the terms of The Housing (Service Charge 

Loans) Regulations 1992. These loans are 

provided by The Homes and Communities Agency 

and not by Plymouth Community Homes. Under 

the regulations a leaseholder has the right to 

request a loan from the HCA to cover the cost of 

major repairs to the property, provided that: 

• The leasehold of the property was purchased 

under the Right to Buy legislation i.e. before the 

transfer of properties to Plymouth Community 

Homes (not the preserved Right to Buy). 

• The leasehold was purchased less than 10 years 

before the date of the invoice for service charges. 

• The leaseholder must pay the first £2,410 of all 

service charges demanded in the current 

financial year. Any amount over this will be 

eligible for a loan. 

• The minimum loan is £800. 

The loan term will vary depending on the amount 

of the loan, as follows: 

Loan amount 

Less than £1,500 

Between £1,500 - £4,999 

Over £5,000 

Term 

3 years 

5 years 

10 years 

• The loan is secured by a mortgage over the 

property. 

• Interest will be charged on the loan. 

• A leaseholder must apply for a loan within 6 

weeks of the date of the invoice for major 

repairs. 

If you wish to apply for a loan, please write to: 

Finance Department 

Homes & Communities Agency 

110 Buckingham Palace Road 

London 

SW1W 9SA 

• The maximum loan is £32,140. 

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17

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Having problems with payments? 

Problems paying service charges 

If you are having problems paying your service 

charges please contact the Leasehold Team 

immediately. We may be able to consider short 

term arrangements to help leaseholders with 

genuine financial difficulties. 

Early contact will avoid the arrears becoming 

serious. If you donʼt tell us that you have a 

financial problem we wonʼt know about your 

circumstances and will not be able to help you. 

Plymouth Community Homes will take recovery 

action over arrears, so itʼs very important that you 

speak to us as soon as you realise that you have 

a problem paying a service charge invoice. 

If you fail to make and keep to an arrangement to 

clear arrears we can get a ʻmoney judgementʼ for 

the debt through the County Court and your 

mortgage lender will also be informed. If you are 

also having difficulties paying your mortgage you 

should contact your mortgage lender. They may 

agree to a variation of your monthly mortgage 

payments. 

Plymouth Community Homes can recover arrears 

from the lender, such as your bank or building 

society, so itʼs important that you keep us both 

informed about any financial difficulties. 

Citizens Advice Bureau 

You can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for 

guidance on money matters, including debt 

management. Your Citizens Advice Bureau gives 

free, independent and confidential advice. They 

can help you work out repayments and negotiate 

with your creditors. You can visit their website at 

www.adviceguide.org.uk. 

Plymouth Citizens Advice Bureau is located at: 

2nd Floor 

Cobourg House 

32 Mayflower Street 


PL1 1QX 

Telephone: 08448 269 717 

Pension Service 

If you are aged 60 or over, you may be entitled to 

help in paying your charges from the Pension 

Service if you receive pension credit. The 

application is means tested at The Pension 

Service if you qualify this could result in some 

financial support. 

The Pension Service can be contacted at: 

The Pension Service 

P.O. Box 8 

Swansea 

SA80 8AH 

Telephone: 0845 606 0265 

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19

Applying for benefits 

Claiming Benefits 

The local Citizens Advice Bureau can advise you 

about claiming Housing Benefit, as well as other 

benefits that you might be entitled to claim. 

You may be entitled to benefits in some of the 

following circumstances: 

• You are on low income 

• You are looking for work 

• You are expecting a baby or bringing up 

children 

• You are sick or disabled 

• You are caring for someone 

• You have suffered a bereavement 

• You are in retirement 

The government has set up a website that will 

give you information on benefits you may be 

entitled to. The website is www.direct.gov.uk. 

Housing Benefits 

If you are on a low income, you may be entitled to 

Housing Benefit to cover some of your housing 

costs and service charges. 

You can get a form for Housing Benefit from your 

local authority, Plymouth City Council. Their contact 

details are: 

Revenues & Benefits 

Plymouth City Council 

Civic Centre 


PL1 2AA 

Telephone: 01752 668000 

Email: revenues@plymouth.gov.uk 

If you are entitled to Housing Benefit you must: 

• Get your claim form to the council on time 

• Give them the information that they need to 

assess your claim, e.g. proof of all income, 

savings and identification 

• Ask them to pay the ground rent and service 

charges direct to us 

• Tell the council of any changes, for example if 

your income changes, or if someone else 

moves in or leaves. 

If you are entitled to Housing Benefit it is your 

responsibility to claim it. If you get into arrears 

because you have not applied for Housing Benefit 

or have not provided the required information, 

then you will still be responsible for paying the full 

service charge. 

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20

Supporting People 

Supporting People is a government programme. It 

helps fund support services to enable people to 

live as independently as possible. 

Supporting People services can help a wide 

range of vulnerable adults, including: 

• Older people with support needs 

• The frail elderly 

• People with learning disabilities 

• People with physical or sensory impairment 

• People with mental health issues 

• People experiencing domestic abuse 

• Ex offenders and those at risk of offending 

• Young people leaving care and/or at risk 

• Homeless people 

• Teenage parents 

• Refugees 

• People with complex needs 

• People with HIV/AIDS. 

Supporting People does not provide every kind of 

assistance that may be needed in the home. Adult 

Social Services has responsibility for personal 

care such as: 

People can be referred to services by Social 

workers, Probation Officers, Mental Health Workers 

or other agencies within the community or people 

can contact most services themselves. 

People receiving any amount of Housing Benefit 

automatically have their Supporting People 

(support) charge paid for by Supporting People 

grant. There is no charge for support provided by 

some services such as homeless hostels. 

Generally, in other services, people not eligible for 

Housing Benefit may be required to pay but a 

financial assessment can be requested from 

Plymouth City Council on 01752 668000. This 

looks at eligibility for financial assistance. 

A directory of all services is available on the 

Plymouth City Council website at 

www.plymouth.gov.uk or by contacting the 

Supporting People Team. 

• Bathing and dressing 

• Healthcare and medication 

• Preparing meals. 

For more information ring Plymouth City Councilʼs 

Contact Centre on 0800 444000. 

➪ 


➪ 

21

Disagreements, Comments, 

Complaints and Praise 

Service charge disagreements 

If you disagree with any aspect of your service 

charge you should still pay for the part of the 

charge that you do agree with. Please contact 

Plymouth Community Homes Leasehold Team to 

discuss any concerns that you have about 

charges as soon as you receive your annual 

service charge account. 

Plymouth Community Homes will take action over 

all arrears. So if you have a concern please donʼt 

leave a service charge account unpaid without 

talking to our Leasehold Team first. 

If you believe that your service charge is 

unreasonable (in terms of the amount charged or 

standard of work) you may be able to apply to the 

Leasehold Valuation Tribunal for a decision about 

what is reasonable. 

Viewpoints 

Viewpoints is our leaflet that you can use to give 

us feedback about services. 

We need to know if a service is not to the standard 

that you expect but itʼs also good to know when we 

get things right. 

You can obtain this leaflet from one of our housing 

offices or at our head office. 

Compliments and suggestions 

When we receive your compliments or suggestions 

for improving our service we will: 

• Contact you to acknowledge your comment 

within three working days. 

• Look at your comment or suggestion and let 

you know if we make any changes as a result. 

Making a complaint 

We will write to you within two working days of 

receiving your complaint either with a full response 

or acknowledgement. If this is the first time you 

have complained, the complaint will be 

investigated. This is known as Stage 1. We will 

send you a full response within 10 working days 

of receiving your complaint. Sometimes, more 

complex complaints may take longer but we will 

keep you informed of progress. 

We may contact you again at a later date to ask if 

you were satisfied with how we handled your 

complaint. This is so we can continue to learn 

from you and keep improving our services. 

What if I donʼt feel my complaint has been dealt 

with properly? 

You can ask us to reconsider our decision - this is 

Stage 2 - and this will be reviewed by a more 

senior officer. We will acknowledge your complaint 

and send a full response within 20 working days. 

If it is going to take longer, we will let you know. 

You will receive a full explanation of the decision 

that is reached. 

➪ 


➪ 

22

What if I am still not satisfied? 

If you are still not satisfied your complaint will be 

dealt with by a Review Panel. This is known as 

Stage 3. The meeting of the Review Panel will be 

held within one month. You will be invited to 

attend or put your case in writing. The panel will 

provide a written response within 10 working days 

of the meeting. 

Housing Ombudsman Service 

We hope that your complaint is resolved before 

this stage is reached but if you are dissatisfied 

with our response or feel that we have failed to 

put things right, you can complain to the Housing 

Ombudsman Service. 

The Housing Ombudsman Service is an 

independent organisation that investigates 

complaints about housing associations. You can 

ask at any of our local housing offices for a leaflet 

or look at their website www.ihos.org.uk or 

contact them at: 

How can you tell Plymouth Community Homes 

what you think? 

Phone us on 0800 694 3101 

Write to us at: 

Plymouth Community Homes 




PL1 2EX 

Look at our website: 

www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk. 

Click on ʻContact usʼ then ʻMake an enquiryʼ then 

complete the form which will be automatically 

sent to us. 

Housing Ombudsman Service 

81 Aldwych 

London 

WC2B 4HN 

Telephone 0300 111 3000 

Fax 020 7831 1942 

Email info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk 

➪ 


➪ 

23


Customer Charter 

Everyone at Plymouth Community Homes is committed to: 

Work for Plymouth 

Strengthen each Community and 

Improve the quality and services in your Homes. 

To achieve this vision we have developed a 

Customer Charter and set of customer service 

standards in consultation with our residents. 

These standards are about meeting the needs and 

expectations of you, our customers, and creating 

a service of which we can be proud. 

We will provide fair, equitable and consistent 

delivery across all our services whilst recognising 

the diverse needs of our customers. 

Our aim is to be a ʻbest in classʼ performer, be 

customer focused and provide value for money. 

The service standards that we have set out will be 

monitored, recorded and reported on. We will use 

this information to assess how well we are meeting 

our commitments and to improve on areas that do 

not deliver our customersʼ expectations. 

The Charter will initially cover three key areas: 

• Communicating with you 

• Accessing our services and keeping you 

informed 

• Fairness and equality 

These will be implemented in the organisation in 

the coming months and we will officially launch 

these to all our customers. 

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➪ 

24

Buildings Insurance 

Plymouth Community Homes is responsible for 

arranging buildings insurance cover for your 

property. This has been arranged as a block policy 

which covers all leasehold flats. This policy is 

reviewed and renewed on an annual basis to 

ensure a comprehensive cover at a competitive 

price. 

Policy cover 

• Fire, Lightning, Explosion 

• Aircraft and articles dropped from them 

• Riot, Civil Commotion, Strikers or Malicious 

Persons 

• Earthquake 

• Subterranean Fire 

• Storm or Flood 

• Escape of water from any tank, apparatus or 

pipe 

• Falling Trees 

• Impact by any road vehicle or animal 

• Theft 

• Subsidence 

• Accidental Damage 

Excess 

An excess is the amount of any claim that a 

leaseholder has to pay and will be deducted from 

the amount of the claim. There is an excess of 

£1,000 for any claim for subsidence and an excess 

of £50 for any other claims. 

Summary of Cover 

This is only a brief summary of the cover that is 

provided by the insurance policy. A specimen 

Summary of Cover has been included on the 

leasehold page of Plymouth Community Homes 

web site at: 

www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk/UserFiles/ 

File/Leaseholders/Summary_of_Cover.pdf 

If you would like an up to date summary of cover 

for your own flat please contact our Leasehold 

Team who will be happy to arrange this for you. 

Making Claims 

To make a claim please contact Farr Insurance on 

0845 129 8000 quoting policy reference number 

09/RSL/10164A. 

Contents Insurance 

Plymouth Community Homes DOES NOT INSURE 

your home contents. 

You need to take out your own household contents 

insurance. You can make your own arrangements 

for this or take out insurance under a special 

scheme arranged by Aviva. 

Two schemes are available to all leaseholders of 

Plymouth Community Homes – standard cover or 

standard with accidental cover. 

You can get an application form from your local 

housing office or download one from Plymouth 

Community Homes website: 

www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk/yourhome/tenancies-and-estates-includingtackling-anti-social-behaviour/home-contentsinsurance. 

➪ 


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25

Caretaking Service 

Which properties have a caretaking service? 

These are usually flats and maisonettes, which are 

in blocks, and have communal facilities and areas. 

What caretaking do I receive? 

This will depend on the building and the level of 

service provided. 

What do caretakers do? 

Caretakers are generally responsible for communal 

areas, that is, courtyards and laundries and some 

of the communal stairs in tower blocks. In these 

areas we provide a litter clearance service, 

checking communal lighting, ensuring that 

communal facilities are safe and in good condition. 

The caretaker reports repairs, for example, door 

entry systems, broken windows, lighting problems 

and vandalism. The caretaker also organises 

removal of bulky items. 

Where a laundry is provided, we carry out a daily 

safety checks before opening. Caretakers also 

check lighting and report repairs needed in the 

laundry. 

All caretakers are trained to the British Institute for 

Cleaning Services (BICS) level one. This ensures 

best practice in the use of both chemicals and 

equipment. 

A detailed specification of what is provided for your 

block is available on request at your local housing 

office or by contacting the caretaking service. 

The Caretaking Service 

Prince Rock Depot 

Macadam Road 


PL4 0RZ 

Telephone 0800 917 9455 

By email: info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

➪ 


➪ 

26

Repairs 

Plymouth Community Homes and leaseholders 

have a responsibility to repair different parts of the 

property. 

Details of who is responsible for which part is 

included in the lease for each flat. Whilst this may 

vary from lease to lease, Plymouth Community 

Homes is usually responsible for carrying out 

repairs to the structure of the property and to 

communal parts of the block. Leaseholders are 

usually responsible for repairs and maintenance 

inside their flats. 

If you are not sure who is responsible for carrying 

out a specific repair please contact our leasehold 

team on telephone number 01752 388094 or 

388109 who will be able to advise you. 

You can report a repair: 

• By telephone on 08082 306500 

• In person at your local housing office 

• To your caretaker 

• By writing to: Housing Repairs, Plymouth 

Community Homes, Fort Austin, Fort Austin 

Avenue, Plymouth, PL6 5SR 

• By visiting our website at 

www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk and 

clicking on the ʻReport a repairʼ button on the 

front page. 

➪ 


➪ 

27

Repairs (continued) 

If you have an emergency outside normal working 

hours or on a Bank Holiday please telephone 

0800 917 9459 for our out of hours service. 

We will offer an appointment at the time a repair 

is reported. Generally, this will be for morning or 

afternoon, Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 

5pm. 

For women who would prefer not to have men 

working in their homes we will make every effort 

to use female operatives to carry out the repair. 

Women can request this when reporting the repair 

to our contact centre. If a female operative is not 

available we will arrange for a female member of 

staff to attend with the male operative. 

Plymouth Community Homesʼ staff and its 

contractors carry and on request will show a photo 

identity card when visiting your home. You can ask 

to see it before letting anyone into your home. If 

this is not provided when requested, you can refuse 

access. For vulnerable tenants, our contact centre 

will agree a code word when the repair is reported, 

if requested. 

You can call our contact centre on 08082 306500. 

➪ 


➪ 

28

Gas and Electrical Servicing 

You have a responsibility to ensure that your gas 

appliances, flue and pipes are serviced and 

maintained regularly. You should service your gas 

annually to ensure that it works properly and to 

prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. You cannot 

smell or see carbon monoxide but it is dangerous 

and can kill. Servicing your appliances will ensure 

that this does not gather in your home. We 

recommend that your gas servicing is done by a 

Gas Safe Registered engineer. 

Plymouth Community Homes is able to arrange 

for your gas appliances to be serviced for you. If 

you would like us to do this please contact our 

repairs call centre on 08082 306500 and they will 

be happy to make the arrangements. There is a 

small charge for this service which you must pay 

before the engineer can call to do the work. 

If you notice a gas leak in your property, call the 

National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999. 

National Grid is an organisation responsible for 

transporting and distributing gas to your door. You 

can get them at any time of the day or night. They 

will advise you on what to do. 

You also have a responsibility to have your electrics 

and appliances regularly tested for safety. 

If you live in a block and are planning to replace 

your cooker you will need to ensure that the new 

cooker you purchase is one designed specifically 

for flats. 

➪ 


➪ 

29

Nuisance and Anti-Social Behaviour 

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority for 


We believe that you should be able to enjoy your 

home and the area in which you live, in peace and 

quiet. Most people simply wish to get on with their 

lives. However, there are times when others 

behave in a way that does not allow you to do this. 

Your responsibilities 

You or any other person living in or visiting your 

property (including children) must not: 

• Engage in, or encourage, behaviour which is 

considered anti-social 

• Do anything that causes or is likely to cause 

nuisance to anyone in the local area 

• Do anything that interferes with the peace, 

comfort or convenience of other people in the 

local area 

• Harass or threaten anyone in the local area 

because of their race, nationality, sexuality, sex, 

religion or disability 

• Harass or threaten members of Plymouth 

Community Homes, their agents or contractors 

or interfere with them in the course of their 

duties 

Racism 

Racism is unacceptable. We will take consistent 

and effective action against racial harassment of 

any type. Any anti-social behaviour aimed against 

individuals because of race will be considered a 

very serious breach of the tenancy agreement or 

lease covenants and will be dealt with quickly and 

effectively. 

We are working hard to identify and stamp out 

racism in all its forms. If you believe you are a 

victim of racism you should report it to the police 

and your housing office immediately. 

Reporting anti-social behaviour 

You can report anti-social behaviour in one of the 

following ways: 

• In person at your local housing office 

• By calling your housing office 

• In writing to your housing office 

• By email via 

info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk. 

Dealing with your complaints 

Plymouth Community Homes will respond to all 

complaints sensitively and as quickly as possible. 

If a situation gets worse we will take further, more 

serious, action. We will use a variety of different 

techniques and work with other support agencies 

to tackle anti-social behaviour. 

• Use your property for any criminal, immoral or 

illegal purpose (including selling or using illegal 

drugs or storing/handling stolen goods). 

We hope that in most cases of neighbour disputes 

residents will initially be able to resolve the matter 

by talking to each other in a respectful and 

appropriate way. If this approach fails, a complaint 

can be made to Plymouth Community Homes. The 

responsibility to tackle anti-social behaviour is held 

jointly by Plymouth Community Homes and the 

person making the complaint. 

30 

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➪

Resident Involvement 

Plymouth Community Homes is committed to 

resident involvement as a way of improving 

services to residents. 

We offer a range of ways for you to share your 

views about our services and to get involved in 

the decisions made about your home and 

neighbourhood. 

Resident involvement means: 

• Receiving regular information about services 

• Consultation about changes 

• Participation in decision making. 

We keep a list of residents who are interested in 

receiving more frequent information about our 

services and consultations. The Resident 

Involvement Network (RIN) receives regular 

invitations to events and meetings. 

We consult leaseholders and tenants about every 

aspect of the services we provide. This ranges 

from local consultation about changes to homes, 

to city-wide consultation about changes in policy. 

We hold an annual conference for leaseholders 

and tenants every December. We also hold events 

during the year. This gives residents a chance to 

meet each other and staff of Plymouth Community 

Homes and have their say about the services they 

receive. These events are free and we can usually 

help with travel and dependent care. 

We have a specialist group called the Interested 

Leasehold Network (ILHN) who talk to us about 

issues that are of particular interest to 

leaseholders. 

If you would like to know more about resident involvement 

or would like to take part in future events, please contact 

our Resident Involvement Team on 0800 917 9457 

➪ 


➪ 

31

Buying the freehold 

You are not able to purchase the freehold of your 

property on your own. However, subject to certain 

conditions, leaseholders of flats have the right to 

enfranchise their building as a group, if they and 

their building qualify. 

Enfranchisement is a group (or collective) right for 

leaseholders of flats to buy the freehold of the 

building they live in. They have this right even if 

the freeholder does not wish to sell. 

The right to enfranchise must be exercised by a 

ʻnominee purchaserʼ on behalf of the group, who 

will own the freehold after the purchase has been 

concluded. 

To qualify to take part in the enfranchisement you 

must be a long standing leaseholder of a flat. 

If you qualify you can only buy the freehold with a 

group of other qualifying tenants if your building 

satisfies the following criteria: 

• There must be 2 or more flats in the building. If 

there are only 2 flats in the block both 

leaseholders must participate in the exercise. 

• At least two-thirds of all flats in your building 

must be held on long standing leases. 

• Not more than 25% of the internal floor area 

(apart from common parts such as stairs) of the 

building is in non-residential use or intended for 

non-residential use – for example, as a shop or 

an office. 

• The number of leaseholders participating must 

also equal at least half the flats in the block. 

Therefore, in a block of 12 flats, at least 8 flats 

must be held on long standing leases, and at least 

6 of these leaseholders would need to participate 

in the enfranchisement process. 

You do not qualify to participate if you own 2 or 

more qualifying leases of flats in the block. 

This is only a brief summary of the 

enfranchisement process. If this is something you 

want to consider we recommend that you seek 

independent professional advice and contact our 

Leasehold Team. 

➪ 


➪ 

32

Subletting your flat 

Leaseholders are allowed to sub-let their flat and 

no formal permission is required from Plymouth 

Community Homes. 

However, there are a few important points that 

need to be kept in mind: 

• You must advise Plymouth Community Homes 

of your up to date correspondence address and 

contact number. 

• If you use a managing agent, you must also 

advise his/her name, address and telephone 

number. 

• You are responsible, under the terms of the 

lease, for the behaviour of any tenant or visitor 

to the flat. 

• The leaseholder is personally responsible for 

paying ground rent and service charges. 

• Plymouth Community Homes insurance broker, 

Farr Insurance, advise that if the property is to 

be left empty for a period of 45 days or more 

that all mains services are turned off and the 

premises checked at least weekly. 

➪ 


➪ 

33

Selling your flat 

You are free to sell your flat at any time on the 

open market. 

Do I have to pay anything to Plymouth Community 

Homes when I sell my flat? 

If you are the original leaseholder who purchased 

the flat under the Right to Buy scheme, you will 

have to pay some of the sale proceeds to Plymouth 

Community Homes if you sell within the first five 

years, as per your lease agreement. 

The amount that you have to pay is detailed in your 

lease and is calculated as a percentage of the 

original Right to Buy Discount that you received 

when you purchased your flat, when compared to 

the valuation of the flat that was used in the Right 

to Buy process. You are allowed to retain one fifth 

of this amount for every full year that you have 

owned the flat. 

Sale Enquiries 

As part of the conveyancing process the sellerʼs 

solicitor will make certain enquiries of the landlord. 

In Plymouth most solicitors have joined together 

under the name ʻFastmoveʼ and collectively they 

have designed a standard set of enquiries that they 

send to landlords. 

Plymouth Community Homes makes a charge for 

responding to these enquiries. Usually the solicitor 

sending the enquiries will send a fee to cover the 

cost of this with the enquiries. However, 

occasionally this does not happen and the solicitor 

requires the leaseholder to pay this direct. 

What happens when the lease 

ends? 

The lease of the property lasts for a certain length 

of time, known as the lease term. This is usually a 

period of 125 years. 

At the end of the lease term the property ownership 

will transfer back to the landlord, Plymouth 

Community Homes. 

➪ 


➪ 

34

Will Plymouth Community Homes 

buy back my flat? 

At the moment Plymouth Community Homes does 

not have a budget that would allow it to buy your 

flat from you but you can sell your flat on the open 

market at any time. 

However, Plymouth Community Homes may 

consider buying back the flat in very exceptional 

circumstances, where for example a leaseholder 

is in severe financial difficulty and on the verge of 

being made homeless. 

Please contact our Leasehold Team to discuss 

this in the first instance. 

➪ 


➪ 

35


Leasehold Team 

Plymouth Community Homes has a small 

dedicated Leasehold Team. 

The team has specialist knowledge in leasehold 

matters, including the terms of individual leases 

and leasehold legislation. 

If you have a query about your lease in general or 

something more specific please contact the 

Leasehold Team in the first instance. If your query 

requires specialist technical expertise we will be 

able to put you in touch with the correct person to 

speak to. 

They administer all leasehold service charge 

accounts. So if you want to discuss the best way 

for you to pay a service charge invoice please 

speak to a member of the Leasehold Team. The 

telephone numbers to call are 01752 388094 or 

01752 388109. 

36 

➪ 


➪

Frequently Asked Questions 

When the property needs 

repairing, what type of repairs 

can the leaseholder do 

? 

Can I arrange my own 

buildings insurance 

? 

The lease divides the property into two different 

parts. One part is the responsibility of Plymouth 

Community Homes and the other is the 

responsibility of the leaseholder. 

The leaseholder is responsible for maintaining and 

repairing those parts that the lease describes as 

being ʻDemisedʼ. This roughly means that Plymouth 

Community Homes is responsible for maintaining 

the structure and the external parts of the property 

and the leaseholder is responsible for maintaining 

the inside of the flat together with any pipes and 

wiring which are used solely by that flat. The exact 

repairing responsibilities are shown in each lease 

and these may vary slightly from property to 

property. 

Can I paint the outside 

of my flat 

Plymouth Community Homes is responsible for 

maintaining the outside of your home and therefore 

painting this would normally be the landlordʼs 

responsibility to do. However, if you feel that this is 

something that you would like to do please contact 

us to discuss further details on 01752 388094. 

Does Plymouth Community 

Homes make a profit out of 

leaseholders 

? 

? 

No. Under the terms of all leases Plymouth 

Community Homes is responsible for arranging 

this for all leasehold flats. In view of the number 

of properties involved the annual premium tends 

to be much lower than if you had arranged your 

own insurance. 

What is covered under the 

buildings insurance policy? 

Should I claim for my bath 

under the buildings or 

contents insurance 

? 

The policy covers the structure of the property 

together with fixtures and fittings in the flat. Items 

such as baths, bath panels, washbasins, sinks, 

splash backs, shower trays, toilets which are 

fixtures in the flat are covered under the buildings 

insurance. 

My lease says that I cannot 

make any alterations or 

additions to the premises without 

the prior consent of my landlord. 

How does this work 

? 

This clause does not cover such things as 

decoration or routine maintenance. It is designed to 

cover material alterations such as knocking down 

internal walls, changing the windows or front door 

of the flat, and erecting fences or walls in any 

garden area. 

No. Plymouth Community Homes is a non-profit 

making organisation and a registered charity. We 

do not make a profit from leaseholders but we are 

expected to cover all our costs in providing the 

service. 

➪ 

To obtain an application form for consent please 

call the Leasehold Team on 01752 388109 or you 

can download an application form from the 

leasehold section of Plymouth Community Homes 

website at: 

www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk/UserFiles/ 

File/Leaseholders/Consent_to_alteration_ 

application.PDF 


➪ 

37

Useful Contacts 


Devonport Housing Office 

10-12 Granby Way 

Devonport 

Plymouth PL1 4AB 

Tel. 0800 917 9497 


Estover Housing Office 

Leypark Walk 

Estover 

Plymouth PL6 8UE 

Tel. 0800 917 9496 


Head Office 



Plymouth PL1 2EX 

Tel. 0800 694 3101 


North Prospect Office 

91-93 North Prospect Road 

North Prospect 

Plymouth PL2 2NA 

Tel. 0800 917 9499 


Whitleigh Housing Office 

101 Whitleigh Green 

Whitleigh 

Plymouth PL5 4DE 

Tel. 0800 917 9498 

Other Plymouth Community Homes Telephone Numbers 

Residential Leasehold Team 01752 388094/ 

01752 388109 

Repairs Reporting 08082 306500 

Out-of-hours Emergency Repairs 0800 917 9459 

Annual Gas Servicing 08082 306500 

Asbestos Team 08082 306500 

Sheltered Housing 0800 917 9452 

Resident Involvement 0800 917 9457 

Compliments, Comments and Complaints 0800 694 3101 

Caretaking Service 0800 917 9455 

Home Contents Insurance Scheme 0800 694 3101 

Advice and Information 

Citizens Advice Bureau 

2nd Floor 

Cobourg House 

32 Mayflower Street 

Plymouth PL1 1QX 

Tel. 08448 269 717 

Age Concern 

Elspeth Sitters House 

Hoegate Street 

Barbican 

Plymouth PL1 2JB 

Tel. 01752 665424 

National Debt Line 

(Free debt advice) 

Tel. 0808 808 4000 

www.nationaldebtline.co.uk 

Benefits, Pensions and 

Financial Help 

Housing Benefit and Council 

Tax Benefit 

Revenues & Benefits 


Civic Centre 

Plymouth PL1 2AA 

Tel. 01752 668000 

Email: 

revenues@plymouth.gov.uk 

The Pension Service 

P.O. Box 8 

Swansea SA80 8AH 

Tel. 0845 606 0265 

➪ 


➪ 

38

Consumer Advice 

Trading Standards 


Civic Centre 

Plymouth PL1 2AA 

Tel. 01752 304141 

Email: trading.standards@ 

plymouth.gov.uk 

Office of Fair Trading 

Tel. 08457 224499 

www.oft.gov.uk 

Family and Personal 

Registrar of Births, Deaths 

and Marriages 

Lockyer Street 

Plymouth PL1 2QD 

Tel. 01752 268331 

Email: regoff@plymouth.gov.uk 

National Mediation Helpline 

Tel. 0845 603 0809 

www.nationalmediationhelpline. 

com 

Shelter 

Devon Housing Aid Centre 

Cobourg House 

Mayflower Street 

Plymouth PL1 1QX 

Tel. 0344 515 2399 

Womenʼs Aid Federation of 

England 

Head Office 

P.O. Box Bristol 391 

BS99 7WS 

Tel. 0808 2000 247 

Employment 

Jobcentre Plus 

64 Exeter Street 

Plymouth PL4 0AJ 

Tel. 0845 604 3719 

Equal Opportunities 

Disability Information Advice 

Centre 

Ernest English House 

Buckwell Street 

Plymouth PL1 2DA 

Tel. 01752 201065 

Email: 

diac@plymouthguild.org.uk 

www.plymouthguild.org.uk 

Equality and Human Rights 

Commission 

Tel. 0845 604 6610 

www.equalityhumanrights.com 

Housing 

Housing Ombudsman 

Service 

81 Aldwych 

London WC2B 4HN 

Tel. 0300 111 3000 

Email: info@ 

housing-ombudsman.org.uk 

Land Registry 

Plumer House 

Tailyour Road 

Plymouth PL6 5HY 

Tel. 01752 636000 

Email: plymouth.office@ 

landregistry.gsi.gov.uk 

National Housing Federation 

Lion Court 

25 Procter Street 

London WC1V 6NY 

Tel. 020 7067 1010 

Email: info@housing.org.uk 

Leaseholder Services 

Leasehold Advisory Service 

(LEASE) 

Maple House 

149 Tottenham Court Road 

London W1T 7BN 

Tel. 020 7383 9800 

Email: info@lease-advice.org 

Residential Property Tribunal 

Service 

Southern Rent Assessment 

Panel 

1st Floor 

1 Market Avenue 

Chichester PO19 1JU 

Tel. 0845 100 2617 

Tel. 01243 779394 

Email: southern.rap@ 

communities.gsi.gov.uk 

➪ 


➪ 

39

Definitions 

Assignment 

The passing on of the rights, privileges and liabilities contained within a lease 

from one lessee to another. 

Covenant 

A legally binding requirement contained in the lease. 

Demised Property 

These are the parts of the property that the leaseholder has bought and is 

responsible for maintaining and repairing. 

Enfranchisement 

The legal right of leaseholders to join together and purchase the freehold of 

the building from the current freeholder. 

Estate 

The land and buildings adjacent to the property from which the lessee 

derives benefit. 

Forfeiture 

A decision made by a court that a lessee must give up all rights to a 

leasehold property, without compensation, as the result of non-compliance 

with the terms of a lease. 

Freeholder 

A proprietor who holds a piece of land outright and has the right to lease, 

rent or sell as he pleases. 

Ground Rent 

An annual payment to the landlord for the lease, giving the right to occupy. 

Landlord 

The same as freeholder. 

Lease 

A legal document that contains the terms under which the lessee holds the 

property. The covenants within the lease are binding upon both the 

leaseholder and the freeholder for the term of the lease unless both parties 

agree to their variation. 

Leasehold 

A type of property ownership. 

Leaseholder 

Means all those people who are the legal owners of the lease of a property 

and whose names are on the lease or assignees of those persons. 

Lessee 

Another word for leaseholder. 

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40

Lessor 

Another word for freeholder. 

Long Term Agreement 

A contract for more than 12 months to provide works or services, for 

example decoration. 

Preserved Right To Buy 

(PRTB) 

See Right To Buy below. In certain circumstances, those secure tenants of 

Plymouth City Council who transferred to Plymouth Community Homes still 

have preserved rights under the Right To Buy Scheme. 

Reserved Property 

That part of the block not included in the flats. This can also be referred to as 

the communal parts of the block. These are the areas that the landlord is 

responsible for maintaining. 

Right To Acquire 

(RTA) 

If you rent a property from a housing association you may be able to buy 

your home at a discount. The scheme is called the ʻRight to Acquireʼ. 

Right To Buy 

(RTB) 

You may have the Right to Buy your home, at a discount, if you are a 

council housing tenant or used to be a council housing tenant but your 

council home was sold to a housing association. 

Section 20 Notice 

A formal notice sent under s.20 Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (as amended). 

This is part of a formal statutory consultation process that a landlord must go 

through with its leaseholders before carrying out any major work, where a 

leaseholder will be asked to contribute more than £250 towards the overall cost. 

Section 125 Notice 

This is the legal notice from a social landlord which sets out the valuation, 

discount and other matters under which it intends to sell a property or grant 

a lease to a person applying to purchase under either the RTB or RTA. 

Service Charges 

These are payments made by a lessee to a lessor for services provided, or 

to be provided and for the management and maintenance of the property 

and communal areas. 

Tenant 

Under housing legislation the words tenant and leaseholder have a similar 

meaning. The Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 states that a leaseholder is a tenant. 

Term 

This is the period of time from the granting of the lease to its end date. 

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Leaseholder Handbook Translation 

English 

This information is available in other languages and formats - Please contact: 0800 694 3101 

Chinese 

此資料報告備有多種語言和版式 - 請聯絡 : 0800 694 3101 

Arabic 

: 0800 694 3101 الرجاء الإتصال–هذه المعلومات متوفرة بلغات و أشكال أخرى 

Czech 

Tyto informace jsou k dispozici v jiných jazycích i formátech. Kontaktujte, prosím: 0800 694 

3101 

Farsi 

نمائيدتماس ين تلفنالطفا با . ی باشندماين اطلاعات به زبانها و اشکال ديگر نيز قابل دسترسی 

0800 694 3101 ‏:حاصل 

French 

Ces renseignements sont disponibles dans d’autres langues et formats – Veuillez contacter : 

0800 694 3101 

Kurdish 

: 0800 694 3101 تكايه په يوه ندی بكه به-ه م زانياريانه هه ن به زمانه آانی تريش وش وازی ديكهئ 

Polish 

Ta informacja może być dostępna w innych językach i formatach. Proszę kontaktować numer 

telefonu: 0800 694 3101 

Portugese 

A informaçao aqui apresentada esta disponivel noutras linguas e formatos, por favor contacte: 

0800 694 3101 

Russian 

Эта информация доступна на других языках и форматах – Пожалуйста свяжитесь с: 0800 

694 3101 

Turkish 

Bu bilgi başka yabancı dil ve formlarda mevcuttur - Bu numarayı arayın: 0800 694 3101




Plymouth PL1 2EX 

Telephone: 0800 694 3101 

Email: info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

Web: www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk 

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Previous page | Contents page 

Registered Office: Ground Floor, Princess Court, 23 Princess Street, Plymouth, PL1 2EX 

Charitable Industrial and Provident Society Registration No: 30637R

Leaseholders' Handbook - Plymouth Community Homes

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