Information for leaseholders
What is a leaseholder?
A leaseholder is someone who has bought a part of a larger building such as a flat or massionette within a block. Other properties within the building may be owned by other leaseholders or lived in by council tenants.
Leaseholders buy the lease to their home; not the property itself. The lease gives you the right to live in your home for a certain amount of time. Most new leases are granted for a maximum of 125 years.
The time left on the lease will reduce as the years go by and will eventually run out unless it is extended. It's usually possible to extend the lease by applying to the council.
The council, as the owner of the block, keep responsibility for maintaining all shared parts and services such as caretaking, cleaning, lighting, and so on.
What expenses do leaseholders have to pay?
Leaseholders pay charges to South Tyneside Homes who manage the Council’s interest in the property. Charges will vary from one property to another. As a leaseholder you may have to:
southtyneside.info - e-services
Did you know you can pay leaseholder charges online?
- Pay ground rent for the land on which the property is built
- Pay service charges for repairs, cleaning, caretaking, concierge services and maintenance
- Pay a proportion of buildings insurance taken out by the Council
- Contribute towards improvement works to the building
- Pay a fee for the cost of administering and managing the lease
