Understanding your lease
When you bought your home, you would have signed a brand-new lease or been assigned an existing lease from the previous owner.
Your lease is the legal agreement between you (the leaseholder) and your landlord (the freeholder) – usually L&Q. It sets out your rights and responsibilities – and ours too.
If you’re a shared owner, leaseholder or equity loan holder, it’s important to understand what’s in your lease, especially when thinking about making changes to your home or selling it.
What your lease covers
Your lease includes information about:
- who owns the freehold of your home
- your responsibilities for rent, service charges and insurance
- how to buy more shares if you’re a shared owner
- when and how your rent may increase if you’re a shared owner
- what home improvements you can make and when permission is needed
- how to sell your home or sublet (if allowed)
- who’s responsible for repairs inside and outside your home
It may also include a plan that shows your home’s boundaries, car parking space, and any fences or walls you’re responsible for.
Lease length and extensions
A lease can vary in length and run up to 990 years. You can check how many years are left on yours by looking at the start date and term in your lease document.
If your lease gets too short, it can affect your home’s value or make it harder to sell or remortgage.
Learn more about extending your lease
Your responsibilities
As a leaseholder, you’re responsible for:
- paying your rent, service charges and ground rent on time
- keeping your home in good condition inside – and outside too, if you own a house
- not making major changes without permission
- not causing nuisance to your neighbours
- getting permission to keep a pet, install wooden flooring, or add a satellite dish (in flats)
Our responsibilities
If we’re the freeholder, we’re responsible for:
- insuring your building
- keeping communal areas clean and in good condition
- consulting you about any major works or service contracts that will cost more than £250 (including VAT) per home
- consulting you about any service contracts that last longer than a year, and that will cost more than £100 (including VAT) per year for each home
- providing audited service charge accounts
- not unreasonably refusing permission for home improvements
We’re not always the freeholder. For example, there are times when we buy a block of homes from a developer, but they retain the freehold of the development.
If we’re not the freeholder, your lease will tell you who is.
Making changes to your lease
In some cases, you may be able to change the terms of your lease using a legal document called a Deed of Variation.
To ask about this, please message our Lease Enquiries team.
Requesting a copy of your lease
You’ll have received a copy of your lease when you bought your home. If you’ve lost it, you can request a new copy.
Help understanding your lease
If you need support or independent advice, Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) can help.
Related content
Extending your lease
Home improvements and alterations
