Leasehold Services is responsible for carrying out a variety of activities including;
- Giving advice and information about the terms of the lease.
- Consulting with leaseholders on major works.
- Service charge queries.
- Collecting payment of service charges.
- Investigating service charge disputes.
- Approving proposed alterations to your property.
- Issuing invoices to leaseholders for major works charges.
- Collecting payment of major works charges.
- Providing account statements.
- Taking and enforcing legal action where needed.
- Calculating estimated service charges.
- Calculating actual service charges.
- Maintaining and updating the service charge system.
- Administering the Right to Buy Scheme.
- Dealing with pre-sale enquiries and re-mortgage packs.
Your rights and responsibilities as a leaseholder are set out in Lewisham Council's standard lease. The lease is the contract between the Lessee (the leaseholder) and the Lessor (the freeholder/landlord).
Your lease is a legal agreement between you, the leaseholder, and, in this case, the Council (your landlord). It gives you rights over land or buildings for a limited period of time.
Most leases granted under the Right to Buy scheme are for 125 years. However if a property in your block was sold before you bought your lease, the term of your lease will probably be for less than 125 years. This ensures that all leases in the block end on the same date.
The London Borough of Lewisham has two main types of lease, these are:
- One for flats that have been converted from large houses
- One for flats in purpose built blocks
If you have a query about your own lease you should seek independent advice from a solicitor, Citizens Advice Bureau, local Law Centre or the Leasehold Advisory Service.
