Leaseholders (council)
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Council leaseholder information
Who is a Brighton & Hove City Council leaseholder ?
Anyone who has bought a council flat or maisonette, either directly through the 'Right to Buy' scheme or from a previous owner, is a council leaseholder. This means they have purchased a long lease on their home but the building is still owned and managed by the council.
Our council leaseholders' handbook is available to view or download below. This contains information about being a council leaseholder, including how the service charge is calculated, what your responsibilities are under the lease, whether you can jointly buy the freehold, consultation when major works are proposed, and what you need to do if you want to let out your flat.
Leasehold Management is a complicated area, with everything governed by the terms of the leases, by law or by regulation. Our handbook aims to explain the rights and responsibilities of both homeowner and the council as leasehold manager, but it is not meant to give a full interpretation of the lease or the law. If you are in any doubt about your rights or duties, then you should seek specific advice.
If your contact details change or you let your property out, please let us know by completing our online change of details form. Alternatively you can download the form and send to us at our address below.
- Download our leaseholder change of details form [PDF 26Kb]
How to contact us
Right to Buy & Leasehold Team
For general advice on your lease, your rights and obligations or your service charge:
- e-mail rtbleasehold@brighton-hove.gov.uk
- call us on (01273) 293074
- or write to us at:
Right to Buy & Leasehold Team
Brighton & Hove Housing Centre
Unit 1, Fairway Trading Estate
Eastergate Road
Brighton
BN2 4QE
How to pay for your leaseholder service charges
Did you know you can pay your leaseholder service charges online? Visit the Online Payments page and select Leaseholders.
Alternatively you can contact our central collection team to make or change your payment arrangements, for your current balance or for more information about other ways to pay:
- email CCT@brighton-hove.gov.uk
- or call (01273) 291364
Housing Management
The Housing Customer Service team are your first port of call for all housing enquiries which are not repairs. Contact them for cases of anti-social behaviour, or for consent to make alterations or report these online below:
- Contact the Housing Customer Service team
- Report anti-social behaviour
- Request permission to alter your property
Repairs
You are responsible for repairs to your flat. The council is responsible for the exterior, structure and common parts of the building.
You can report repairs 24 hours a day:
- Report repairs online
- Call freephone 0800 052 6140
- Or local number (01273) 294409
- E-mail BHCC.repairs@mearsgroup.co.uk
Insurance
What to do if you suffer from damage to your property - claiming on your insurance cover.
Estates Service
Our Estates Service provides cleaning to our blocks of flats and the Neighbourhood Response Team take care of properties, carry out small scale repairs and respond to emergencies. We also have a city wide graffiti and bulk refuse removal service:
- Report issues online
- Call (01273) 294769
- E-mail EstatesServiceTeam@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Leaseholder Action Group
The Leaseholders' Action Group (LAG) is a special interest stakeholder group based on tenure. The aims of the group are to work for and represent the interests of leaseholders of Brighton & Hove City Council residential flats in partnership with the council. The group also aims to promote the rights of leaseholders and their participation in the management and improvement of their homes and the buildings in which they have a flat.
General meetings of LAG (normally an annual meeting in late November) are advertised by posted invitation to all council residential leaseholders.
The business of LAG is carried out by its committee of up to nine members elected at the Annual General Meeting, who meet with council officers normally four times a year.
If you would like more information about the Leaseholder Action Group, please contact Peter Mustow (Community Participation Officer) on (01273) 296639 or peter.mustow@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
Service Charge disputes
If you dispute or disagree with any aspect of your service charge we have a three stage leaseholder disputes procedure so that the matter can be investigated comprehensively. Any service charge dispute should be set out in writing and sent to:Stage 1
Right to Buy & Leasehold Team, Housing Centre, Eastergate Road, Brighton, BN2 4QLStage 2
Hilary Edgar, Business Manager, Housing Centre, Eastergate Road, Brighton, BN2 4QLStage 3
Nick Hibberd, Head of Service (Housing & Social Inclusion), Kings House, Grand Avenue, Hove, BN3 2SRIf you are not satisfied by the outcome of the disputes procedure leaseholders have the right in law to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) to seek a determination of whether the service charge is payable and if so how much.
Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, 1st Floor, 1 Market Avenue, Chichester, PO19 1JU
The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) publish a number of detailed booklets about leaseholders' rights, including applying to the LVT. They also offer free legal advice and may be able to advise on any appropriate mediation service that may be available.
Information about all of these services is on their website at www.lease-advice.org. Their telephone number is 020 7383 9800 or you can email them at info@lease-advice.org.
The disputes we received in the last financial year (2011/12) are shown in the tables below:
| Type of dispute | Number |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 29 |
| Stage 2 | 10 |
| Stage 3 | 3 |
| % Resolved at Stage 1 | 66% |
| % Resolved at Stage 2 | 70% |
| % Resolved at Stage 1 or 2 | 90% |
Customer satisfaction
We are committed to continuous improvement and development of our customer service to leaseholders. We undertake a full postal survey of all our leaseholders every two to three years.