Repairs & Improvements

This section gives you information on improvements, repairs and major works.

Can I do improvements?

How do I get repairs done?

What happens with major repairs?

How much will major works cost?

Why are other leaseholders in the block paying differing amounts to me for the same works?

Is there a limit on the amount I must pay?

When do I have to pay for major repairs?

What happens if I cannot pay?

Housing Service Charge Loan

Council repair loans

 

Can I do improvements?

If you want to carry out any improvements (for example - patio doors) you must ask permission from your local housing office. This procedure exists to help us look after the safety of all other residents.

If your work went wrong it could affect the whole block and cost a lot of money in repairs. We may refer you to the Planning Department if you need planing permission, or Building Regulations Section, depending upon the type of improvement that you want to do. We may want more details, or even wish to inspect the premises. It is important that you do not start work until you have our permission.

How do I get repairs done?

If you need a repair on something for which we are responsible, contact your local housing office or call our repairs call centre

Be sure to make it clear that although you own the property you are reporting a repair that is required to the common parts of the building for which we are still responsible.

What happens with major repairs?

 

When major repairs are needed youb will be told about the proposed works if they cost more than £250 per leasehold flat.  The letter you receive will give you a description of the proposed work and will invite you to nominate a contractor from whom we may request a tender.  We will consider any tender submitted by the nominated contractor along with others submitted under formal tendering procedures.

We will then send you a letter that will set out the two lowest tenders for the work. This will also estimate the amount that you individually will be required to pay. You have one month to comment on the work, although we will try to involve you as early as possible in the planning stages of the repairs programme to allow more time for consultation.

We will consider your comments before entering into a contract for the work. In an emergency, this procedure cannot be followed.

If you are a member of a recognised Tenants and Residents Association (TRA)we will inform them of any major work proposals and consult with them about the work that is to be done. We will write to the Secretary of the TRA detailing the proposed building works and providing a summary of the estimates.  In addition, he/she will be provided with a copy of the contract specification and the TRA will be able to make comments on this.  A copy will also be available at our local housing offices.  It is open to members of the TRA to put forward the name of an alternative contractor so that we can obtain an estimate from them for the work as part of the tender process outlined above.

How much will major works cost?

 

You will receive a separate bill for all major works costing more that £250 per flat. Some examples are;

•  A new roof in a block of four low-rise flats would cost about £15,000. If you were a leaseholder in that block your share would be about £3,750 (one quarter).

•  Painting and internal decoration of communal areas in a block of 120 flats would cost about £18,000. If you were a leaseholder in that block your share would be about £150 (when divided by 120).

•  New windows cost about £3,000 - £4,000 per flat, depending on the number and type of windows installed. Windows and doors are normally your responsibility and would not therefore be included in the repairs contract unless you requested them to be replaced.

All these figures are estimates. provided as examples.. Your bill will be based on the actual cost of doing the work.

 

Why are other leaseholders in the block paying differing amounts to me for the same works?

 

The amount paid for major works may vary from one leaseholder to another. We can only charge individual leaseholders in accordance with terms of their lease. Some of the reasons why prices may differ are set out below;

•  The lease terms are different

•  The amount that we can charge a leaseholder is affected by the date of the sale.  There is a limit on the service charges during the first five years of the lease.

 

Is there a limit on the amount I must pay?

 

The amount you have to pay can be limited in a number of ways:

• The lease - We can only charge for items that are covered by the lease. If your lease states 'repairs' and not 'improvements' then we can only charge for repairs and not improvements. A repair is basically replacing something that was there already. An improvement is putting something in that was not there before.  If the lease states that we can do 'improvements' and we make an improvement either to your home or to the building we can charge you a fair proportion of its costs.  A new front entrance door because the old one is defective is a repair; electronic door-entry system, where there was not one before would count as an improvement.

• Right to Buy - If it is less that five years since you bought your home under the Right to Buy, then you may still be within the five year 'initial period'. This period is identified in your lease. This means that when we sold you the property, we had to predict what major work we thought we were likely to carry out in the next five years and what that might cost. This is what is called the 'Landlord's Offer Notice'. If you are still within the initial period:

•  We cannot charge you for major works unless we have given you notice in the offer of sale that this work is to be carried out and we have provided you with estimates for the works at current prices.

•  If the proposed work is mentioned but the estimate is lower than the actual cost, we can only charge up to the level of the estimate, plus a factor for inflation.

You should refer to the original Purchase Price Offer Notice (Section 125) for details of estimated charges.

 

If none of these apply to you, then generally you will have to pay for the full cost of the work. We will try and make the repayment arrangements as reasonable as possible.

When do I have to pay for major repairs?

 

You will be sent a letter on completion of the work, or at the latest within 18 months of completion of the work. This will inform you how you can pay for the work (usually by equal quarterly instalments together with your normal annual service charges). This will be followed by a bill issued on the usual quarter days.

What happens if I cannot pay?

 

If you think that you will have difficulty in paying for the works that are being done to your block, you should contact the Rents and Right to Buy section and explain your position. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you in strict confidence.

We will explain the options that are open to you, including advising on where you may be able to borrow money. We will also try and help manage your payments so that you can pay your bill in reasonable instalments.  Some of the options will be advised to consider include:

• Approaching your bank or building society for a loan.
• Approaching your current mortgage lender to ask for an extension to your existing loan.
• Agreeing instalment arrangements with the landlord.
• Obtaining a housing service charge loan (see below for more details).
• Obtaining a Council repairs loan (see below for more details)
• Obtaining a Council loan under the normal lending scheme - If you do not qualify for a Building Society/Bank loan or a Council repair loan, you may wish to consider taking out a loan under the council's normal lending scheme, for which limited funds are available each year. Qualification for this type of loan is subject to the conditions of the approved scheme, details of which can be given on request.

If you already have a loan, which is secured against your home, then you will have to get permission from your lender, before you can take out a second loan.

Housing Service Charge loan

The right to a Housing Service Charge loan is only available to Right to Buy leaseholders and not Kingfisher Court leaseholders.  It is available where you have received a demand for repairs carried out after 16th August 1992 and: You have received a demand for repairs carried out after 16th August 1992 and:

• The charges are payable during the first ten years of your lease.
• The charges pyable by you for all services in the year are more than £1,500

 

You can borrow, in respect of repairs, only the amount by which the cost of the service charges exceed £1,500. The loan must be for more that £500 but not more than £20,000.

The maximum length of time to repay the loan is:

• Three years for loans under £1,500
• Five years for loans of £1,500 - £4,99
• 10 years for loans of £5,000 or more

You can choose to pay over a shorter period of time.

The Council will charge the council's mortgage interest rate plus an administration charge.

Council Repair Loan

This is a discretionary scheme available to all leaseholders subject to availability of funds.  The loans are for between 5 and 25 years but you can choose to pay over a shorter period of time.

Interest is charged at the Council's mortgage interest rate which may be slightly higher than a bank of building society.

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